Pronunciation: dye-er-VIL-ah loh-NISS-er-ah
Yellow tubular flowers, projecting stamens and finely toothed leaves.
Family Caprifoliaceae · honeysuckle family
Genus Diervilla
Growth Deciduous, colony-forming shrub
Height Usually 2–4 feet
Bloom Late spring through summer
Habitat Open woods, woodland edges and rocky or sandy clearings
Status Native
Observation maps show reported sightings; they do not define the complete native range.
Leaves: opposite pairs with pointed tips, finely toothed margins and short leaf stalks. Check several leaves along a twig.
Flowers: small yellow tubes open into five lobes, with long stamens and a projecting style. Older flowers turn orange to reddish.
Growth: a low woody shrub that spreads by underground stems. Its fruit is a dry, elongated capsule rather than a fleshy berry.
Look in open woods, along forest edges and in rocky or sandy clearings. The shrub can form low patches beneath trees as well as in brighter openings.
In the Upper Midwest, flowers appear from late spring into summer. Small clusters may include buds, yellow flowers and orange aging flowers together.
Native to eastern and central North America, including Wisconsin and Illinois. It occurs widely in Wisconsin and is especially characteristic of northern forests.
Sightings maps record observations, not the boundaries of the native range.
Diervilla lonicera
Bush Honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera): a low native shrub with toothed leaves, short leaf stalks, small yellow flower clusters and dry capsules.
Amur Honeysuckle and other invasive Lonicera shrubs: leaf margins are smooth, flowers are usually paired, and fruits are fleshy berries. Amur also has long, tapering leaf tips.
Other Diervilla: Southern Bush Honeysuckle (D. sessilifolia) has stalkless leaves. Photograph leaf attachments when checking cultivated plants or unfamiliar populations.
The tubular flowers attract pollinators, including bumblebees. Several flowers at different stages can appear in the same small cluster.
Underground stems allow the shrub to spread into low colonies. This native growth habit is different from the tall, dense stands formed by invasive bush honeysuckles.
Fresh flowers are yellow; older flowers become orange or reddish. Use this change together with the toothed, opposite leaves and low shrubby growth to recognize the plant.
Explore more species in the guide, then practice recognizing wildflowers in the quiz.
