Lonicera villosa
 
Blue Fly Honeysuckle

Inflorescence in Ground

Hudson Bay Regional Park
10-June-2009

The flowers occur in pairs, arising from two fused ovaries.  One of the flowers in the pair often matures before the other and may fall off before the other fully opens.  The flowers are described as yellow in Budd's Flora and Flora of Alberta.  In the specimens pictured here, the flower buds were a pale yellow-green but they turned whitish yellow as they matured.

Villosa: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora and Flora of Alberta leading to this species. 

northern plants; NOT [mountain plants]

stems erect; NOT [stems twining or reclining]

leaves all separate; NOT [upper leaves connate-perfoliate]

inflorescence axillary; NOT [inflorescence a terminal cluster]

flowers in pairs

bracts at base of flowers thin or minute; NOT [bracts at base of flowers large, broad, and leaf-like, at least in fruit]

corolla 2-lipped; NOT [corolla almost regular]

flowers yellow; NOT [flowers pink or white]

ovaries completely fused; NOT [ovaries only partly united], NOT [ovaries separate]

berries solitary (as a result of ovary fusion of paired flowers); NOT [berries partially fused], NOT [berries separate in pairs]

berries bluish-black; NOT [berries red or yellow]

 

Lonicera: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora  and Flora of Alberta leading to this genus. 

erect or twining shrubs; NOT [trees], NOT [low, slender, trailing evergreen shrub]

leaves simple; NOT [leaves pinnately compound]

leaves entire or undulate; NOT [leaves toothed or lobed]

inflorescence axillary as well as terminal; NOT [inflorescence all terminal]

flowers usually in pairs; NOT [flowers in clusters]

calyx with short lobes; NOT [calyx with 5 linear lobes]

flowers often slightly irregular; NOT [flowers regular]

flowers tubular or funnelform; NOT [flowers campanulate], NOT [corolla rotate]

flowers with 5 stamens; NOT [flowers with 4 stamens]

fruit a berry with 2 or more seeds; NOT [fruit a capsule], NOT [fruit a drupe containing a flattened stone]

fruit a red or black berry; NOT [fruit a white or purplish berry]

 

Caprifoliaceae: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora  leading to this family. 

shrubs; NOT [herbs], NOT [trees]

large shrubs; NOT [dwarf shrubs]

leaves opposite or whorled; NOT [leaves alternate]

stems bearing few to several flowers; NOT [stems bearing a solitary flower]

stamens 5; NOT [stamens 5-10], NOT [stamens 2]

ovary inferior; NOT [ovary superior]

fruit fleshy; NOT [fruit a capsule]