SafePlants

Southern Bush Honeysuckle (Diervilla sessilifolia)

The Southern Bush Honeysuckle, scientifically known as Diervilla sessilifolia, is a charming native shrub that offers beauty and resilience to gardens. It is sometimes also referred to as Butterfly Bush Honeysuckle, particularly the cultivar 'Butterfly'. Despite the common name, it's important to note that it is not a true honeysuckle (Lonicera) but is related through the family Caprifoliaceae.

Considerations for Pets

• This plant is described as a suckering shrub, so it spreads via underground stems.

Considerations for Children

• This plant is described as a suckering shrub, so it spreads via underground stems.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

• Scientific Name: Diervilla sessilifolia Buckley
• Common Names: Southern Bush Honeysuckle, Butterfly Bush Honeysuckle
• Family: Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle family)
• Genus: Diervilla (comprising three species of deciduous shrubs)

Distribution and Habitat

• Native to the southeastern United States, specifically North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama.
• Often found in the southwestern Mountain region of North Carolina.
• Thrives in difficult sites with poor, well-drained soil.

Ecological Role

• While not explicitly stated to be invasive, other bush honeysuckles (Lonicera species) are mentioned as invasive woody shrubs with detrimental impacts on forest ecosystems.

Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits

• Low-growing, suckering shrub, typically 3-5 ft high and at least as wide.
• Has a thicket-forming habit.
• Deciduous shrub.
• Foliage is dark-green, often with red veins. Leaves are glossy green with tapered tips, emerging tinged with bronze and maturing to mid-green.
• Stems can be reddish.
• Flowers are yellow and trumpet-shaped, blooming in summer.
• 'COOL SPLASH' is a cultivar noted for its ovate-lanceolate, serrulate-margined, nearly sessile, attractively-variegated foliage (green and white).
• Has attractive, horizontally branched stems.

Interactions with Other Organisms

• The yellow flowers attract hummingbirds.
• The foliage is generally not bothered by pests or disease.

Quirky Facts

• Despite its common name of Honeysuckle, it isn't a "true" Honeysuckle, but is rather related to the Honeysuckle (Lonicera) through the Caprifoliaceae family.
• The cultivar 'Cool Splash' is described as having showy variegated foliage and being a previously "unsung" dwarf bush honeysuckle, highlighting its recent rise in popularity.

Resources and Further Information

• Dave's Garden is mentioned as a resource for gardening tips and ideas.
• Discover Life offers information about the biology, natural history, ecology, identification, and distribution of Diervilla sessilifolia.