Lonicera maackii by D. E. Herman
Here is a shrub with red berries you DON’T want in your garden or nature area. Looks pretty, don’t it?
What Is That Shrub With Red Berries?
Maybe you recognize the photo as Amur Honeysuckle, or Loniceri maackii. On the other hand you might be like me and have a hard time telling from a photograph the difference between Flowering Dogwood, which you definitely want, and Amur Honeysuckle which you don’t want. They both grow wild in Kansas, can be found on woodland edge, have opposite leaves, and sport beautiful, red, fall berries, but that is where the resemblance ends.
Do You Hate Amur Honeysuckle?
My friend Carole Brown, The Conservation Gardener has been teaching me about plants to hate – non-native invasives. Funny thing is though, I just can’t bring myself to hate a plant. All plants have their place in nature. The trouble comes when we bring a plant like Loniceri maackii from its native Korea, plonk it down in Kansas, and expect everything to be just great. Mmmm, birds are just going to love those berries! Aren’t they? And hummingbirds love honeysuckle flowers.
Nature is Full of Connections
Sadly, the reason I’m writing about Amur Honeysuckle is because it’s a problem in Kansas. A few days ago I received an e-mail from one of my readers by the name of Hal. Along with the photo came a note from Hal saying that the shrub, or small tree, with red berries was found on the campus of Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, KS. He said there was a lot of it. If I’d seen it in person I’d have recognized it – I used to have some in my garden – but, instead of risking reliance on my limited botanical knowledge, I recruited the help of Jeff Hansen of Kansas Native Plant Society to get a positive identification. Thanks Jeff – you’re the reason I’ll be joining Kansas Native Plant Society.
Get Rid of Amur Honeysuckle
Fortunately there are 25 ways to remove Amur Honeysuckle. If you’re still in doubt about getting rid of Lonicera maackii, you might want to know that its listed as a noxious weed in 3 states. However this is not a good indicator of how troublesome this non-native plant is to our natural areas and woodlands. It’s causing enough trouble in Kansas City to warrant Kansas City Wildlands to organize clean-up days focused on clearing it from nature reserves. The main trouble is that it shades the woodland floor and prevents native flowers and young trees from growing. For a better understanding, download 8 Reasons to Get Rid of Amur Honeysuckle, including that it’s like junk food for birds!
Plant Something for the Birds
It would be lovely if the students at Haskell Indian Nations University got out and cleared this pesky honeysuckle and replanted something native instead. Birds do indeed love berries. There are plenty of great, native berry plants to have in your garden or nature reserve. There are even “good” honeysuckles – both Trumpet Honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens, and Yellow Honeysuckle, Lonicera flava, are native to Kansas. If you need more suggestions, check out Carole’s 10 Best Woody Plants list, which includes some great choices of small trees with fruits birds love. And ask at your local native plant nursery. I use the Prairie and Wetland Center – they have some wonderful suggestions for native plants for a hummingbird garden with much better alternatives than invasive imports.
Photo courtesy of: USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Herman, D.E., et al. 1996. North Dakota tree handbook. USDA NRCS ND State Soil Conservation Committee; NDSU Extension and Western Area Power Administration, Bismarck.
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Thanks for the nod, Alison. You’ve done a great job telling how dangerous this plant can be, but you’ve also suggested native alternatives that will do a better job in the ecosystem. That is very important. PS I know you’ll love being involved with the native plant society. I’m sure you’ll find many passionate, knowledgeable friends.
Alison–Great blog! Thanks for all the work you are doing. I found another clump in a protected area today in east Lawrence by Mt. Calvary cemetary, and I gotta say, it was beautiful. Leafage was still green and it was laden with those great red colored berries. No wonder people leave it alone, ’cause it’s so beautiful this time of year. The berries are now shiny red and dead ripe with a sweet taste at first which becomes bitter. I did not eat them but only tasted them and spit out, not knowing if they might be toxic. I have seen no birds eating them so far. But I gotta say, walking around under the HUGE bushes at Haskell, there was no understory. Just bare ground now being covered by the Amur’s falling leaves. Maybe a winter cover crop under there would be worth experimenting with?
Anyway, thanks again, and I look forward to anything else you might care to write (and research) on the topic. Hal
Argh, I was just out driving past a local stream-way and park and guess what I saw? It’s just full of this amur honeysuckle. I know what you mean Hal, I’d have thought it very attractive if I’d not written this article and learned about it. The berries look so pretty. Now I want it gone.