Taxonomy: Kingdom - Plantae (plants). Subkingdom - Tracheobionta (vascular plants). Superdivision - Spermatophyta (seed plants). Division - Magnoliophyta (flowering plants). Class - Magnoliopsida (dicotyledons). Subclass - Asteridae. Order - Dipsacales. Family - Caprifoliaceae (honeysuckle). Genus - Lonicera L. Species - Lonicera ciliosa (Pursh) Poir.
Ecology: Orange honeysuckle is an understory component of open to dense forests at elevations ranging from 700-1700 m.
In the WFDP: Orange honeysuckle is incredibly rare in the WFDP, with only one stem above 1 cm at DBH that is tagged.
Habit: Trailing to twining; herbage glabrous or soft-puberulent. Stem: 3--30 dm. Leaf: deciduous, 6--10 cm; blade oval or ovate, ciliate, base tapered, tip round to sharp; upper 1--2 pairs fused around stem. Inflorescence: spike, short, dense; flowers +- 20 in 2--4 whorls. Flower: corolla 16--40 mm, +- cylindric, weakly 2-lipped, divided 1/6--1/4, orange; stamens, stigma +- exserted. Fruit: +- 8 mm, red, +- glaucous.
Flowers: Flowers in a dense, short, terminal inflorescence; corolla orange, 2.5-4 cm. long, somewhat two-lipped, the tube 3 or 4 times as long as the lips, swollen on one side above the base; stamens 5, glabrous; ovary 3-celled, inferior.
Fruits: Fruit a red berry nearly 1 cm. thick.