Lonicera albiflora Torrey & A. Gray, texas honeysuckle, white honeysuckle. Shrub, fall–deciduous, with some twining branches, several–stemmed at base, branches when unsupported ascending and arching, others tightly twining around support, to 140 cm tall; shoots with only cauline leaves, on typical vegetative shoots opposite leaves petiolate except where subtending an inflorescence, on vigorous suckers leaves larger and often fused across node and between bases (connate–perfoliate), glabrous, somewhat glaucous.
Stems cylindric, often purple–red on exposed side, internodes on vigorous suckers to 100 mm long, sometimes glaucous, shoots soon woody.
Leaves opposite decussate, simple, short–petiolate (most leaves) or connate perfoliate with blade tissue surrounding stem; petiole to 3 mm long; blade broadly elliptic to ovate, of single leaves (13—)27—45 × (8—)12—23 mm, tapered at base, entire and wavy on margins, obtuse to broadly acute at tip, of perfoliate leaves each to 75 × 47 mm, especially wavy on margins across node, pinnately veined with principal veins raised slightly on lower surface, lower surfaces sometimes ± glaucous.
Inflorescence condensed cyme, terminal, to 13–flowered, flowers sessile, appearing in whorls of 5—6, each whorl composed of a pair of 3–flowered cymes, bracteate, glabrous and glaucous; inflorescence subtended by 2 opposite bracts fully fused across node (connate perfoliate), bracts leaflike, ± deltate, to 35 mm long, width > length; peduncle above perfoliate bracts ca. 0.5 mm long, glaucous bluish green; bractlets at base of flower 2 forming inner pair (upper = bractlet), free, appressed to ovary, upper bractlet broadly triangular (deltate), < 0.5 mm long, glaucous.
Flower bisexual, bilateral, 13—15 mm across, sweetly fragrant; calyx minutely 5–lobed (teeth), crownlike, 0.4—0.5 mm long, glaucous bluish green; tube ± 0.8 mm across; lobes = 5 subequal teeth, margins minutely jagged, persistent at top of fruit; corolla 2–lipped, 4–lobed on upper lip, 17—19.5 mm long, cream–colored; tube not truly cylindric, tube + throat ca. 9 mm long, 1.1—1.3 mm diameter but narrowed at base within calyx tube, inner surface having pilose hairs short—0.9 mm long; lower lip unlobed, oblanceolate, 8.5—9.5 × 2.6—2.9 mm, obtuse to rounded at tip, often filled with thin nectar; upper lip with the central portion deeply 2–lobed below midpoint, 2 lateral lobes oblanceolate and obtuse at tip, old corolla aging reddish; stamens 5, fused to corolla tube near sinuses, exserted; filaments ascending–diverging, cylindric, 7.7—8.5 mm long, whitish, decumbent within tube, with several short–pilose hairs near base; anthers exserted slightly above or at level of stigma, versatile, dithecal, 3.2—3.7 mm long, cream–colored, longitudinally dehiscent; pollen white; pistil 1; ovary inferior, obovoid, ca. 2 × 1 mm, glaucous bluish green having conspicuous surface wax, glabrous, 3–chambered, each chamber with 2 ovules attached to center; nectary disc = a swelling at top of ovary next to style, producing copious nectar; style cylindric, 16—17 mm long, white at base to greenish approaching stigma, somewhat swollen at base; stigma positioned on lower side of flower, terminal, capitate and broad, inconspicuously 3–lobed, yellow–green, papillate.
Fruit berry, to 5–seeded, spheroid, in range 6.5—10 mm diameter, red–orange to scarlet or green (somewhat glaucous when green and immature); pulp colored like outer surface, not juicy.
Seed domed on back and like a turtle shell, broadly elliptic in outline, 4—4.9 × 2.5—3 mm, glossy green, essentially smooth.
A. C. Gibson