[3] Lonicera flava is a vine that twines or climbs on other vegetation or structures or trails along the ground, with a length up to about 4 m (13 ft).

They are elliptic in shape, and the uppermost 1 or 2 pairs of leaves are fused around the stem (perfoliate).

[5] The genus name Lonicera honors the German physician and botanist Adam Lonitzer (1528 – 1586), and the specific epithet flava is Latin for "yellow".

[2] The plant grows in dry to mesic upland woods and forests, along stream banks, on bluffs, and at the margins of glades.

[4] Hummingbirds and butterflies are attracted to the flowers, and birds and small mammals eat the berries.