Twinberry Honeysuckle

Description:

Twinberry honeysuckle is a long-lived deciduous shrub which grows up to 10 feet in height. Leaves are bright green, elliptical, and paired opposite each other on the stem. Flowering occurs in June-July. Small, tubular yellow flowers grow in pairs surrounded by two leafy bracts.

Habitat:

Spotted in a meadow at the Green River Natural Resources Area. Twinberry honeysuckle is found throughout the western United States from Alaska to Mexico. The species also occurs east of the Great Plains in Michigan and Wisconsin, where it is rare and listed as threatened and endangered. Habitats are generally moist forest openings, swamps, streamsides, and meadow edges, ranging in elevation from sea level along the Pacific Coast to subalpine sites in the mountains.

Notes:

Berries reportedly had limited food use, but were used by Native Americans as a dye for hair and other materials. The fruits, stems and leaves were also used for a variety of medicinal purposes.