Black Twinberry (Lonicera involucrata)

Black twinberry is a member of the honeysuckle family that grows as a shrub, not a vine. This easy to grow plant provides visual interest in the garden with pairs of yellow tubular flowers in the spring, followed by round black berries with showy red bracts in the summer. The flowers attract hummingbirds and insect pollinators, and the berries are inedible to humans, but loved by birds and other wildlife. Black twinberry prefers shady, moist conditions, but can tolerate full sun. It is a great choice for hedgerows, rain gardens, and pollinator gardens, and also valuable for stabilizing streambanks, as its extensive and fibrous root system provides erosion control.

Sun Exposure: Part shade to full sun
Soil & Moisture: Moist, well-drained, humus-rich soil
Mature Size: 5'-10' tall
Bloom Time: Spring to early summer
Edible: No
Wildlife Value: Attracts beneficial insects and pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Butterfly and moth host plant. Fruits are eaten by birds and mammals. Provides cover and nesting sites.
Native Range & Habitat: Moist forests, forest edges, streambanks, thickets, riparian areas, and marshes from low to high elevations. Widely distributed, native to western North America from Alaska south to Mexico, and east to the Rocky Mountains
Other Names: Twinberry, twinberry honeysuckle, bearberry honeysuckle