# Glaucous Honeysuckle (*Lonicera dioica*) Glaucous Honeysuckle is a lovely shrub with sweet-smelling flowers. It attracts bees and butterflies, making gardens colorful and lively! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Forests ![Glaucous Honeysuckle](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Lonicera_dioica_5473501.jpg&width=800) Photo: Rob Routledge, Sault College, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lonicera_dioica_5473501.jpg) ## Appearance The Glaucous Honeysuckle is a climbing vine with distinctive bluish-green (glaucous) leaves, often fused together at the stem tips. Its tubular flowers are yellowish-green to purplish-red, appearing in whorls. Bright red berries follow the blooms, making it quite eye-catching. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Dipsacales - **Family:** Caprifoliaceae - **Genus:** Lonicera ## Interesting facts - Hummingbirds love to visit its flowers, sipping sweet nectar with their long tongues! - Its powdery leaves look frosted, giving it a unique bluish-green glow! - The top pair of leaves are fused, looking like a cup holding the flower cluster! - This vine can grow from sunny rocks to shady forests, showing it's super adaptable! ## Special abilities - **Leaf Hug Power:** Glaucous Honeysuckle has pairs of leaves that fuse around the stem, sometimes collecting rainwater like tiny cups for the plant to drink. - **Gripping Growth:** This honeysuckle can climb trees and shrubs using its twining stems to reach essential sunlight in crowded forest understories. - **Snack Beacon:** Glaucous Honeysuckle produces bright red berries that attract birds, helping the plant spread its seeds far and wide. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 100-300 cm - **Spread:** 50-200 cm - **Flower Size:** 2-3 cm - **Bloom Season:** Late spring to early summer - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** Mild - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** [Common Eastern Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-eastern-bumble-bee) (*Bombus impatiens*) — collects nectar and pollen from flowers - **Pollinates:** [Ruby-throated Hummingbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/ruby-throated-hummingbird) (*Archilochus colubris*) — sips nectar, aiding flower pollination - **Eaten by:** [American Robin](https://www.snappit.app/explore/american-robin) (*Turdus migratorius*) — eats its bright red berries, spreading seeds - **Eats:** [White-tailed Deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-tailed-deer) (*Odocoileus virginianus*) — browses on young leaves and stems ## Traits - [Aromatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aromatic): Aromatic plants produce and emit fragrant volatile organic compounds, often for defense or to attract pollinators. - [Deciduous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/deciduous): Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons. - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Shrub](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shrub): A shrub is a woody plant smaller than a tree, typically with multiple stems branching from or near the ground. - [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished. - [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense. - [Fruit Bearing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fruit-bearing): Fruit-bearing plants produce fruits, which are the mature ovaries of flowering plants containing seeds. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always check with an adult before touching or tasting any plants. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Glaucous Honeysuckle? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Glaucous Honeysuckle? 100-300 cm ### How wide does Glaucous Honeysuckle spread? 50-200 cm ### How big are the flowers on Glaucous Honeysuckle? 2-3 cm ### When does Glaucous Honeysuckle bloom? Late spring to early summer ### Is Glaucous Honeysuckle edible? No ### Is Glaucous Honeysuckle toxic? Mild ### What is Glaucous Honeysuckle's lifecycle? Perennial ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Glaucous Honeysuckle: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/glaucous-honeysuckle)