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Southern Bush-honeysuckle

Diervilla sessilifolia

Found in rock outcrops, ridges, landslide scars, trail margins, other rocky open places, streambanks, primarily at moderate to high elevations. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

36
Good

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
3–5 feet
Spread
3–5 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 4 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 6 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

Rare or protected plant. Specialist conservation planting; excluded from routine garden suggestions. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
June to August
Fruiting season
August to October

Recorded in 9 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Cliffs, ledges and rocky summits

Trees and rocks on Little Kennesaw Mountain.
Named place / source context. Shown: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia, a neighboring state.Trees and rocks on Little Kennesaw Mountain., Unidentified in HFC record, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Streams, rivers and their banks

Flowing water and its banks, bars and rocky shoals.

All habitats

Care

  • Avoid poorly drained clay soil.
Care sources
Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

3CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Diervilla

  • Citheronia regalisRoyal Walnut Moth, Hickory Horned Devil
  • Harrisimemna trisignataHarris's Three-Spot
  • Sphinx kalmiaeFawn Sphinx, Laurel Sphinx
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
7BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Diervilla

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Diervillaceae
Hardiness
Zones 4a–8b
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline
Flower color
Yellow
Fruit begins
August
Fruit ends
October
Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Diervilla sessilifolia var. sessilifolia; Smooth Southern Bush Honeysuckle; Southern Bush honeysuckle

Conservation status

Alabama rankS2S3
Global rankG4?
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Sources