Xylosteon spinosum Decaisne in Jacquemont, Voy. Inde 4(Bot.): 78. 1841; Caprifolium spinosum (Decaisne) Kuntze; Lonicera albertii Regel.

Shrubs, dwarf, to 60 cm tall, deciduous, often with spinelike, leafless branchlets. Bark splitting. Branches with solid pith. Winter buds with few scales. Leaves opposite; petiole ca. 1 mm; leaf blade linear to oblong, 4-15 × 1-2 mm, glabrous, base broadly cuneate to rounded, margin revolute, apex obtuse. Paired flowers fragrant, axillary at bases of lateral young branches; peduncle to 1 mm; bracts leaflike, longer than ovary; bracteoles cupular, more than 1/2 as long as ovary, apex subtruncate, often 2-lobed. Neighboring 2 ovaries free. Calyx cupular, ca. 1.5 mm; lobes ovate, apex obtuse. Corolla purplish red, later white, tubular-funnelform; tube ca. 10 mm, slender; lobes spreading, ovate-oblong, ca. 4 mm. Stamens inserted at mouth of corolla; anthers exserted. Style exserted. Berry pale violet to white, ellipsoid, ca. 5 mm. Fl. Jun-Jul, fr. Sep.

Scrub, scree slopes, often mixed with Caragana plants; 1700-4600 m. Xinjiang, Xizang [Afghanistan, India, Kashmir, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan].