Abstract

One-hundred-thirty-five honeysuckle (Lonicera L.) taxa were evaluated in North Dakota, Manitoba and/or reviewed in the literature for relative honeysuckle aphid [Hyadaphis tataricae (Aizenberg)] susceptibility, winter hardiness and landscape characteristics. Sixty taxa are rated susceptible to highly susceptible, 13 lightly susceptible and 55 with apparent resistance to aphid attack. Lonicera tatarica L.,L. morrowii Gray. and L. ruprechtiana Reg., including cultivars and hybrids derived from these species, were particularly susceptible. Taxa with apparent aphid resistance were evaluated for hardiness zone assignment and landscape qualities. Only 3 taxa are rated in the high recommendation category for landscape planting in USDA hardiness zones 2 through 5. These include L. x brownii (Reg.) Carr. ‘Dropmore Scarlet’, L. x xylosteoides Tausch. ‘Miniglobe’ and L. xylosteum L. ‘Emerald Mound’. Sixteen taxa received an average recommendation and 27 taxa a low recommendation. The 60 taxa which proved susceptible or highly susceptible to honeysuckle aphid, plus 17 additional taxa, are placed in the non-recommendation category. These 77 taxa represent 57% of the taxa evaluated in this study. Eleven taxa are recommended for potential use in shelterbelt or conservation plantings as replacements for aphid susceptible honeysuckles.