Habitus

it is a shrub 1 – 3 m tall
it has an irregular, densely branched crown
branches are arched, curved
bark is light grey-brown
bork is fissured into shallow longitudinal strips, slightly peeling at the margins

Lonicera xylosteum (Fly honeysuckle) - bork

Buds

bud arrangement is strictly distichous-opposite (pairs of buds lie in a single plane)
buds are superposed (ascending) – the largest is in the leaf axil, i.e., the lowest one !
lateral buds project almost perpendicularly from the branch; they are conical and pointed
bud scales are yellowish-grey to brownish and hairy

Lonicera xylosteum (Fly honeysuckle) - acropetal bud arrangement (the largest is at the bottom)

Shoots

the shoots are slender, round, and yellowish-grey; hollow in cross-section!

Lonicera xylosteum (Fly honeysuckle) - the shoots are hollow in cross-section

Leaves (assimilation organs)

leaves are simple, opposite, broadly ovate, shortly acuminate, and entire-margined
they are appressed-hairy along the margins and on both surfaces (at least on the veins)
upper surface is dark green, lower surface is lighter
petiole is 3 – 10 mm long and hairy

Lonicera xylosteum (Fly honeysuckle) - top side

Lonicera xylosteum (Fly honeysuckle) - underside

Lonicera xylosteum (Fly honeysuckle) - twig with leaves (upper side)

Lonicera xylosteum (Fly honeysuckle) - twig with leaves (underside)

Flowers

it is a monoecious woody plant; flowers are bisexual, white to pale yellow
they grow in pairs in two-flowered cymes on hairy stalks 15–20 mm long
it blooms in May–June

Fruits – seeds

the fruit is a spherical, bright red, glossy berry, approximately 6 mm in size
the berries grow in pairs on a common stalk
the fruit contains 2 – 4 oval seeds
it ripens in August–October

Lonicera xylosteum (Fly honeysuckle) - two fused berries

Lonicera xylosteum (Fly honeysuckle) - unripe berries

Extension

it is originally an extensive Eurasian range
in Slovakia, it grows from the lowest elevations up to 1,480 m a.s.l.
it grows primarily in deciduous forests, on clearings, scree slopes, or in ravines

Ecology

it is a shade-tolerant woody plant (shrub)

Lonicera xylosteum (Fly honeysuckle) - in the shade at the forest edge

Significance

under certain conditions, it spontaneously colonizes clearings, becoming a "troublesome woody weed" that hinders forest regeneration
it is also used as an ornamental park tree, valued for its flowers and fruit

Lonicera xylosteum (Fly honeysuckle) - ornamental for its foliage as well

From history

Lonicera xylosteum (Fly honeysuckle) - Unsere Waldbäume, Sträucher und Zwergholzgewächse. Heidelberg, Carl Winter`s Universitätsbuchhandlung

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