When we hike by lakes, marshes, creeks, and wet meadows, we often spot black twinberry (Lonerica involucrata) leafing in spring, flowering in late spring, and displaying black berries in summer.    It is  deciduous shrub in the honeysuckle family,  growing from 0.5 to 2.0 m in height.    The central stems are fairly erect, but the branches loosely extend outward.    The leaves are elliptical – oval shaped and hairy, growing in opposite pairs on the stems.      Yellow flowers are tubular in shape and hairy with reddish bracts.    The shrub has both male and female flowers (monoecious).

Black pairs of berries are produced in summer, each containing seeds.

A gallery is shared here:

This album can also be seen as a Google Photos album at this link – Black Twinberry
 
The berries are considered unpalatable, but they are eaten by birds, bears, and squirrels.    The softer branches are browsed by deer and moose.   This shrub can sometimes be found in home gardens, if there are wet areas on borders.

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