Greek di — two, pelte — shield, referring to the shape of the bracts.
Deciduous shrubs. Leaves opposite, simple and short-stalked. Flowers tubular to bell-shaped, solitary or in clusters of up to 8 flowers on thin stalks with prominent bracts that persist and enlarge around the fruit. Calyx of 5 narrow lobes. Corolla 5-lobed, 2-lipped. Stamens 4. Ovary inferior, 4-chambered. Fruit a dry capsule.
Grown in the shrub border, and sometimes as a hedge for the abundant flowers and unusual and attractive fruits.
Softwood and semi-hardwood cuttings.
Similar to Weigela but with 4 stamens and a 2-lipped corolla.
4 species from C and W China.
Source: (2002). Caprifoliaceae. In: . Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 4. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 3. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.