Family - Caprifoliaceae
Stems - Woody, multiple or
occasionally single. A shrub or small tree to 6m tall. Twigs dense with
ferruginous or grayish stellate hairs.
Leaves - Opposite, petiolate,
elliptic, somewhat cordate at base or not, to +15cm long, +7cm broad, upper
surface glabrous or with some stellate pubescence, lower surface densely
stellate pubescent, margins with minute prickles or protrusions. Petioles
densely stellate pubescent.
Inflorescence - Terminal
umbellate cymes, to +10cm broad. Densely stellate pubescent.
Flowers - Corolla 5-lobed,
to 8mm broad, whitish, glabrous. Lobes rounded, -2mm long and broad. Stamens
5, alternating with lobes, borne at base of corolla tube, erect and exserted
well beyond corolla. Filaments to +4mm long, glabrous, whitish. Anthers
yellow-brown, to 1.1mm long. Calyx tube to 1.5mm long, stellate pubescent.
Lobes minute. Fruits to 8mm long, ovoid, single seeded(drupes), red at first, ripening to purplish-black.
Flowering - May - June and
sometimes again around November.
Habitat - Cultivated.
Origin - Native to Eurasia.
Other info. - This plant
is very commonly cultivated in Missouri. The hairs of the plant cause irritation
to some people, like myself. The fruits are interesting in that the entire
cluster does not ripen at once so both red and black fruits are present
at the same time giving the plant added color. The flowers of this plant
are not as fragrant as other plants in this genus which bloom around the
same time.
Photographs taken at the Kansas City Zoo, 11-4-99 and 4-12-00 respectively.
