Caprifolium decipiens (J. D. Hooker & Thomson) Kuntze; C. nigrum (Linnaeus) Kuntze; Lonicera acrophila H. Léveillé; L. barbinervis Komarov; L. decipiens J. D. Hooker & Thomson; L. lanceolata Wallich; L. nigra var. barbinervis (Komarov) Nakai; L. wardii W. W. Smith.

For description see under species complex. Distinguishing characters for this species are as follows: Leaf blade oblong to elliptic-lanceolate, 1.5-10 × 1-3 cm, glabrous throughout but abaxially often white hairy on midvein. Corolla purplish or purple-red. Ovaries free or fused in lower half. Fl. Apr-Jul, fr. Aug-Oct. 2n = 18.

Forests, scrub, coniferous forests, forest margins; 1500-3900 m. W Anhui, NE Guizhou, W Hubei, Jilin, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan [Bhutan, India, Korea, Nepal; Europe].