Tartarian Honeysuckle

Public awareness of invasive species is high now, but that hasn’t always been the case. In the 1800s, if a foreign plant was edible, medicinal, or pretty, it was brought to North America without much thought. As a result, we are now dealing with dozens of problematic species, including invasive Honeysuckles.

Tartarian Honeysuckle (Lonicera tartarica) was introduced to North America from Asia in the 1840s as an ornamental garden shrub. The same traits that make it attractive to gardeners – fast growing, hardy, and high seed production – helped it escape captivity. Other escaped non-native relative include Morrow’s and Showy Honeysuckle (both present on PEI), along with Amur Honeysuckle, which hasn’t been recorded in the wild here yet.

It’s hard to pinpoint just when these species arrived on PEI. Although they weren’t noted in David Erskine’s extensive inventory of the Island’s plants in the 1950s, they are now well-established, especially in central and eastern PEI. I see them near old homesteads, in hedgerows and forest edges, and along streams and trails.

Unfortunately, Tartarian and other invasive Honeysuckles cause a number of problems. They tend to leaf out earlier than our native trees and shrubs, and so can shade out ground plants, including some of our rare spring ephemerals. These Honeysuckles form dense patches that not only crowd out native plants but also release biochemicals that inhibit growth and seed germination of other species. In this way, they are able to outcompete virtually all other plants, which reduces both plant and animal biodiversity.

A Honeysuckle invasion can be hard to eliminate but repeated pulling and cutting – especially before the fruit appears – can help. The ‘honeysuckle’ name comes from the sweet drop of nectar held in the base of each flower. Feel free to do your part to reduce the number of fruits by picking and sucking the nectar out of the flowers. (Although I’ve never tried it, you can also make syrup or jelly from exotic Honeysuckle flowers, as with any edible blossom). Of course, prevention beats elimination: please don’t add exotic Honeysuckles to your landscape and do try to remove any that are already there.

For more information about our invasive species, check out the PEI Invasive Species Council’s website or Facebook page. That group does fantastic work to prevent and eradicate invasive species from PEI Untamed!