# orange honeysuckle (*Lonicera ciliosa*) The orange honeysuckle is a beautiful shrub with bright orange flowers that attract hummingbirds and butterflies. It grows in the wild and can add color to gardens too! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 6 - **Habitat:** Forests ![orange honeysuckle](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Lonicera_ciliosa_13335.JPG&width=800) Photo: Walter Siegmund, CC BY 2.5 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lonicera_ciliosa_13335.JPG) ## Appearance The orange honeysuckle is a climbing vine with vibrant, trumpet-shaped orange to reddish-orange flowers. Its blossoms often grow in clusters, contrasting with its green, oval leaves that sometimes fuse together below the flowers. The slender stems twine around supports, creating a lush, colorful display. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Dipsacales - **Family:** Caprifoliaceae - **Genus:** Lonicera ## Interesting facts - Early settlers sometimes used honeysuckle stems for weaving baskets! - Its vibrant orange flowers glow like tiny trumpets, announcing spring's arrival! - Some honeysuckle vines can grow over 8 meters long, reaching high into trees! - Some leaves hug the stem so tightly, they appear as one single leaf! ## Special abilities - **Nectar Beacon:** Orange honeysuckle has bright, tubular flowers that perfectly fit hummingbird beaks, ensuring pollination. - **Forest Climber:** Orange honeysuckle can twine its flexible stems around trees and shrubs, reaching sunlight in dense forests. - **Rainwater Cups:** Orange honeysuckle has perfoliate leaves that fuse, creating cups that collect rainwater for thirsty visitors. - **Berry Buffet:** Orange honeysuckle produces red berries that offer a food source for many bird species in late summer. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 300-800 cm - **Spread:** 100-300 cm - **Flower Size:** 2-4 cm - **Bloom Season:** Spring to early summer - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** Mild - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Bird ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** [Rufous Hummingbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/rufous-hummingbird) (*Selasphorus rufus*) — Sips nectar, carrying pollen between flowers. - **Eaten by:** [American Robin](https://www.snappit.app/explore/american-robin) (*Turdus migratorius*) — Eats the bright red berries, spreading seeds. - **Eaten by:** [Mule Deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/mule-deer) (*Odocoileus hemionus*) — Browses on the leaves and young stems. - **Pollinates:** Two-form Bumblebee (*Bombus bifarius*) — Visits flowers for nectar and pollen. ## 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. - [Spring Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spring-blooming): Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth. - [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. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [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 orange 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 orange honeysuckle? 300-800 cm ### How wide does orange honeysuckle spread? 100-300 cm ### How big are the flowers on orange honeysuckle? 2-4 cm ### When does orange honeysuckle bloom? Spring to early summer ### Is orange honeysuckle edible? No ### Is orange honeysuckle toxic? Mild ### What is orange honeysuckle's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Capitol State Forest](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/capitol-state-forest) — Washington, US · Forest - [Glines Canyon Dam](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/glines-canyon-dam) — Washington, US · Historic Site - [Hoyt Arboretum](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/hoyt-arboretum) — Oregon, US · Botanical Garden - [Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/oregon-caves-national-monument-and-preserve) — Oregon, US · National Park - [Wind River Arboretum](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/wind-river-arboretum) — Washington, US · Botanical Garden - [Sandwell Provincial Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/sandwell-provincial-park) — British Columbia, CA · State Park [View all places to see orange honeysuckle](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/orange-honeysuckle) ## 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: [Orange Honeysuckle: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/orange-honeysuckle)