Lonicera nitida Wilson's Honeysuckle DD I
Some plants have a character which is very similar to others in the family and some, like this, one are the opposite. Who would look at this shrub and immediately conclude that it was related to our native Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum) ?
It has been introduced from China and is widely used as a hedging plant. Over the years I looked at many such shrubs in both gardens and in the wild and never found a flower until finding this shrub in a quarry - full of very small creamy yellow flowers.
It has successfully escaped in southern England and is easily found. Frequency of sites reduces as you go north but there still is some in Scotland and Wales. It is plentiful in Ireland.
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| Lonicera nitida Wilson's Honeysuckle |
Llandulas Quarry, North Wales 8th May 2008
Added in 2008 updated 2nd December 2010