| Bush honeysuckle | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Dipsacales |
| Family: | Caprifoliaceae |
| Subfamily: | Diervilloideae |
| Genus: | Diervilla Tourn. ex Mill. [1] |
| Species | |
See text | |
Diervilla, or bush honeysuckle, is a genus of three species of deciduous shrubs in the family Caprifoliaceae, all indigenous to eastern North America. The genus is named after a French surgeon Dr. Marin Diereville, who introduced the plant to Europe around 1700.
The bush honeysuckles are low in height, 1–2 m (3–7 ft), of small to medium diameter, 1–2 m (3–7 ft), and develop into colonies by means of spreading underground rhizomes. Their leaves are simple, opposite and either oval or lanceolate in shape with a toothed edge. The fall color varies between yellow, orange and red. Small tubular flowers, typically pale yellow, are produced in June and July.
| Image | Common name | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| | northern bush honeysuckle (other names low bush honeysuckle, dwarf bush honeysuckle, yellow-flowered upright honeysuckle) | Diervilla lonicera | from Northern Quebec and Labrador to Georgia and Alabama and reaches as far west as Saskatchewan |
| | mountain bush honeysuckle (other names Georgia bush honeysuckle, hairy bush honeysuckle) | Diervilla rivularis | Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. |
| | southern bush honeysuckle | Diervilla sessilifolia | the Great Smoky Mountains and the southern Appalachian Mountains |
Other species formerly included in Diervilla are now treated in the genus Weigela . The bush honeysuckles are commonly confused with the common wild honeysuckle ( Lonicera tatarica ), or the Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), both members of the closely related genus Lonicera .
The British Diervilla national collection is held at Sheffield Botanical Gardens; along with the national collection of the closely related genus Weigela . [2]
Diervilla species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the common emerald and the engrailed moths.