Lonicera tatarica is a multistemmed, upright, woody, deciduous shrub that grows up to 10 ft. (3 m) tall. The bark is light gray and can often peel in vertical strips.
Foliage
The leaves are opposite, ovate, 1.5-2.5 in. (3.8-6.4 cm) long and blue-green. Often, it is one of the first shrubs to leaf out in the spring.
Flowers
Flowers develop in pairs in the axils of the leaves in May to June. Flowers are deeply 5-lobed, tubular, usually pink to red and rarely white.
Fruit
The abundant paired berries are 0.25 in. (0.6 cm) in diameter, ripen to an orange to red color and often persist throughout winter.
Ecological Threat
Lonicera tatarica readily invades open woodlands, old fields, and other disturbed sites. It can spread rapidly due to birds and mammals dispersing the seeds and can form an extremely dense understory thicket which can restrict native plant growth and tree seedling establishment. This plant is a native of eastern Asia and was first introduced into North America as an ornamental in 1752.