There are about 400 species of Honeysuckle, in about 15 genera. They grow in tropical mountains and north temperate regions. Though some of the more familiar species are vines, most are shrubs. They often have showy flowers.
These often showy flowers are either radially or bilaterally symmetrical, and they usually grow in forked or branched clusters. There are 5 small sepals and 5 petals that are united, forming a slender tube. This tube flares into a trumpet-shaped end, or forms an upper and lower lip. There are also 5 stamens. These parts are all attached at the top of the ovary.
The leaves in this family are simple or compound. The fruit is a stone, berry or capsule.
Other species in the family include Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus), Hobblebush (V. alnifolium), and Twinflower (Linnaea borealis), which, with its small pinkish-white bell-shaped flowers, looks like it could be in the Clematis clan.
The Pink or Carnation Family (Caryophyllaceae) likewise has a reputation. How could it not? It's a big family full of a variety of wildflowers, some of which are gorgeously colorful. At any given time throughout the year, a member of this family is blooming somewhere in North America.
In total, there are 2,000 species in the family, in about 80 genera. They occur primarily in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly in cooler regions.
No shrubs or vines in this family, members of the Pink Family are herbs with swollen nodes on the stems, and flowers blooming singly, or in clusters, either branched or forked. The flowers have 5 sepals and 5 petals. The sepals are united, or free from each other. The petals often are slender at the base, and/or fringed or toothed at the end. There are 5 to 10 stamens, and all of these parts are attached at the base of the ovary.
The leaves are opposite and simple. The fruit is usually a capsule.
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