Morrow’s Honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowi).
Also called Bush Honeysuckle. A tall bush (six feet or
more) with flowers very much like those on Japanese
Honeysuckle, both white and buff on the same bush.
(Like Japanese Honeysuckle, it came from Japan.) It
grows at the edge of the woods, and is particularly
fond of roadsides.
Tartarian Honeysuckle (Lonicera
tatarica). A noxious weed in many places,
but rather uncommon here so far, especially compared
to the ubiquitous Morrow’s Honeysuckle (Lonicera
morrowi). The pink flowers of this species are
distinctive, although it may also produce white
flowers, in which case it may be much harder to tell
from Morrow’s.
Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica).
Originally a cultivated Asian import, but now as much
a part of the American landscape as the dandelion,
this weedy vine covers hillsides and infiltrates
hedges throughout the city. It is remarkable for
bearing two different colors of flower on the same
stem. Children know that a drop of pure, sweet nectar
may be carefully extracted from the base of the
flower.
☛More recent references place the Viburnums in the family Adoxaceae or Viburnaceae.
Viburnum lentago
Viburnum prunifolium
Highbush Cranberry (Viburnum trilobum).
Not really a cranberry, but it has berries that can be
a good substitute for cranberries. The leaves are much
like the leaves of Red Maple (Acer rubrum),
and the flowers come in dense cymes. Most of the
flowers are tiny, but the outer flowers in each cyme,
which are sterile, are immensely overgrown, making the
whole cyme much more showy and a much more attractive
target for pollinators.
Viburnum acerifolium
Southern Arrowwood (Viburnum
dentatum). One of several Viburnum
species found in our area; this one is not recorded in
the literature as occurring in Allegheny County,
though it is known to occur in neighboring Butler
County. Nevertheless, these bushes did grow in
Allegheny County, near the edge of the woods on the
grounds of Harmarville Rehabilitation Hospital. The
nearly round toothed leaves are a clue. Viburnum
recognitum, which may also grow in our area, is
sometimes classified as a variety of Viburnum
dentatum.