This genus of the Honeysuckle Family (Caprifoliaceae) was named after Christian Ehrenfried von Weigel, a German botanist who lived from 1741 to 1831. About 10 to 12 species of arching, deciduous shrubs from northeastern China, Korea, and Japan are in this genus. The leaves are simple and opposite. The plants bear white to pink to red, or even yellowish, bell or trumpet-shaped flowers in late spring and summer. The dry fruit is a two-valved brown capsule. Weigela florida, the Old-fashioned Weigela, is the most commonly used species in horticulture with many cultivars; it also has been hybridized with some of the other similar species to produce hundreds of different cultivars. The landscape value is based on pretty flowers and good green or coloured foliage, but all are very twiggy plants with somewhat stout twigs that need lots of proper pruning to look good; best right after blooming.

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