Tartarian honeysuckle
General poisoning notes:
Tartarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica) is an ornamental shrub that has become naturalized throughout much of southern Canada. In European literature this plant have been implicated in the poisoning of children. See additional notes under fly honeysuckle, (Lonicera xylosteum).
Description:
Shrubs, deciduous, to 3 m tall, ± pruinose. Winter buds small, with ca. 4 pairs of ovate scales. Branches with pith becoming brown and later hollow. Petiole 2-5 mm; leaf blade ovate or ovate-oblong, sometimes oblong, 2-5 × 1-2 cm, both surfaces glabrous or sparsely pubescent, sometimes prominently pubescent, base rounded or slightly cordate, margin ciliate, apex acute or obtuse. Inflorescences axillary paired flowers; peduncle 1-2 cm; bracts linear to obovate-lanceolate, 2-7 mm; bracteoles free in 2 pairs, orbicular-ovate, to 1 mm, sometimes as long as ovaries and ciliate. Neighboring 2 ovaries free. Calyx lobes triangular-lanceolate, to 1 mm. Corolla bilabiate, pale pink to carmine-red, sometimes white or pink fading to yellow, ca. 1.5 cm; tube 5-6 mm, shallowly gibbous at base; upper lip 4 lobed, 2 lateral lobes lobed to base and spreading, middle lobes shallowly lobed; lower lip recurved. Stamens and style exserted from corolla tube. Style pubescent throughout. Berries red or yellow, globose, 5-6 mm in diam.; seeds 2-2.3 mm, smooth with concave dots. Fl. May-Jun, fr. Jun-Sep.
Lonicera tatarica L.
Nomenclature:
Scientific Name: Lonicera tatarica L.
Vernacular name(s): Tartarian honeysuckle
Scientific family name: Caprifoliaceae
Vernacular family name: honeysuckle
Geographic Information
Forest margins, scrub; 700-1600 m. ?Hebei, Heilongjiang, Liaoning, N Xinjiang [Japan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, ?Mongolia, Russia].
Canada: Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan.
Notes on Poisonous plant parts:
Ingesting the berries has caused mild toxicity in children (Frohne and Pfander 1983).
Toxic parts:
Mature fruit.
Notes on Toxic plant chemicals:
The toxic compounds are unknown, but they are suspected to be saponins (Frohne and Pfander 1983).
Toxic plant chemicals:
Unknown chemical.
Animals/Human Poisoning:
Note: When an animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993) contained no detailed explanation.
