Berry identification - Ask Extension
Hi,
We have some berry bushes on St. Lawrence River island. My mother called them choke cherries and made jelly but I am pretty sure they are not cho...
Knowledgebase
Berry identification #417671
Asked July 29, 2017, 10:12 AM EDT
Hi,
We have some berry bushes on St. Lawrence River island. My mother called them choke cherries and made jelly but I am pretty sure they are not choke cherries. No teeth on the leaves. One bush/tree is about 10 feet high and another is a 3 foot shrub. Closest I could find on internet was a honeysuckle. I don't have pictures when I'm flower. We are usually here during berry season which seems to be most of spring/summer and maybe fall. The berries have multiple small yellow seeds.
Thanks for any help.
Thanks for any help.
Jefferson County New York
Expert Response
It appears to be a bush honeysuckle Tartarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica) or Morrow’s honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii). Native to Europe, eastern Asia, and Japan, bush honeysuckles were introduced in the 1800’s as ornamentals. They were also planted for wildlife food and cover. The various species quickly naturalized and can now be found from New England south to North Carolina and west to Iowa. More here: http://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/forests/private/tools-resources/publications/invasive-pla...
Hope this is helpful.
Thank you so much! This was very helpful. No more jelly from those berries!