Deciduous shrub 1-3 m high. Shoots are hollow. The bark of young shoots is yellowish-brown, covered with small dark lenticels; Old shoots have gray bark that peels off in stripes.
Leaves are ovate or oblong-ovate, 3-6 cm long, entire. The flowers are paired, up to 2 cm long, with a two-lipped corolla of white or pink color, located in the axils of the leaves. Tatarian honeysuckle blooms in May - June.
The fruits are spherical, red or orange, often fused in pairs at the base, about 6 mm in diameter, ripen in July - August. Inedible, bitter in taste.
Shade-tolerant, but blooms better in open sunny places. Thrives in moist soil, but usually does not tolerate waterlogging. Undemanding to soil composition.