Shrubs, deciduous, to 6 m tall; trunk to 10 cm in diam. Winter buds ovoid, with several pairs of scales; outer scales triangular, sparsely puberulent; inner scales accrescent, lanceolate, outside pubescent. Branches with pith becoming brown and later hollow. Branches and petioles spreading pubescent with interspersed minute glands. Petiole 2-9 mm; leaf blade green or purplish when young, usually ovate-lanceolate, 2.5-8 × 1.5-4 cm, abaxially sparsely strigose, adaxially sparsely pubescent or subglabrous, base broadly cuneate to rounded, margin ciliate, apex acute to long acuminate. Inflorescence fragrant, axillary paired flowers; peduncle 1-3 mm, shorter than petioles; bracts linear, sometimes leaflike, 3-7 mm; bracteoles of each flower ± fused, green or purplish, ca. 1 mm, apex truncate and ciliate. Neighboring 2 ovaries free, glabrous or sparsely minutely glandular hairy. Calyx campanulate, 2-3 mm, scarious between lobes; lobes broadly triangular, unequal, apex acute. Corolla bilabiate, purplish, or white at first, later yellow, ca. 2 cm, outside shortly adpressed hairy or glabrous; tube 4-5 mm, shallowly gibbous toward base, inside puberulent or glabrous; upper lip 4-lobed; lower lip recurved. Stamens and style exserted from corolla tube; filaments and style with minute hairs below middle. Berries dark red, orbicular, 5-6 mm in diam.; seeds with minute shallow concave dots. Fl. May-Jun, fr. Aug-Oct. 2n = 18.

Lonicera quinquelocularis Hardwicke has been cited in China (A. Henry 3853); it is possibly not distinct from L. maackii except for the translucent berries with dark colored seeds.

Forests, scrub; 100-1800(-3000) m. Anhui, Gansu, Guizhou, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jilin, Liaoning, ?Nei Mongol, Shaanxi, Shandong, S Shanxi, NE Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan, N Zhejiang [Japan, Korea, Russia; introduced and invasive in North America].