Search / Plant Profile / Diervilla rivularis

Plant Profile

Mountain Bush-honeysuckle (Diervilla rivularis)

A view of this native honeysuckle in the fall. Photo Credit: Rob Nicholson

Global Rank: G3 - Vulnerable
Legal Status: N/A
Family: Caprifoliaceae
State: AL, GA, NC, TN, VA
Nature Serve ID: 145605
Lifeform: Shrub
Date Inducted in National Collection: 02/25/1988

Description:

Diervilla rivularis is a North American shrub named in compliment of a French traveler, N. Dierville, who first brought the plant from Canada to Europe in 1699 (Small 1933, Fernald 1949). There are three Diervilla species, all of them eastern North American: D. lonicera, D. sessilifolia, and D. rivularis (Fernald 1949). All three are deciduous shrubs of small to medium size, spreading by means of underground stems and forming colonies.

Where is Mountain Bush-honeysuckle (Diervilla rivularis) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Damp woods and rocky banks to full sun at disturbed areas (along roads) (Small 1933, Fernald 1949, Clark 1971, Dirr 1988, Foote and Jones 1994).

Distribution:

The Blue Ridge to Appalachian Plateau, Georgia to Alabama, and North Carolina. D. rivularis and D. sessilifolia have generally the same range overlapping with D. lonicera in Virginia and North Carolin

States & Provinces:

Mountain Bush-honeysuckle can be found in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia

Which CPC Partners conserve Mountain Bush-honeysuckle (Diervilla rivularis)?

The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University

Conservation Actions

10/05/2020

Although studies in propagation have been conducted, no research program is in place.Propagation by seed (sow directly, without pre-treatment) brings consistent good result (Bir 1992).Propagation by softwood cuttings: in June-July, 2,500-5,000 ppm K-IBA, under mist or fog (easily rooted).

Nature Serve Biotics

05/02/2017

Localized Southern Appalachian endemic. Occurs in a few counties in northwestern Georgia (where it is locally abundant) and in only a few counties in northeastern Alabama. Rare in Tennessee; historical in North Carolina.

Irina Kadis

01/01/2010

Road construction, right-of-way maintenance. Hydroelectric facilities, dams. Erosion after logging. Disturbance by thinning trees in the immediate proximity. Overtopping by arboreal species or fast growing herbs or vines Natural habitats vanish due

Irina Kadis

01/01/2010

Remaining population sites and sizes are largely unknown.

Irina Kadis

01/01/2010

Although studies in propagation have been conducted, no research program is in place. Propagation by seed (sow directly, without pre-treatment) brings consistent good result (Bir 1992). Propagation by softwood cuttings: in June-July, 2,500-5,000 ppm K-IBA, under mist or fog (easily rooted).

Irina Kadis

01/01/2010

No formal plan has been designed or implemented.

Irina Kadis

01/01/2010

Comparative genetic study of the three Diervilla species would be helpful, as their taxonomic status is not yet clarified. Population identification and monitoring would be useful in devising a protection plan.