Chinese Honeysuckle Lonicera japonica
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- loh-NIS-er-a juh-PON-ih-kuh
- This plant has medium severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- This plant is an invasive species in North Carolina
- Description
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This plant is problematic and alternatives should be considered. Please see the suggestions in the left-hand column or see this video created by Charlotte Glen as part of the Plants, Pests, and Pathogens series.
Japanese honeysuckle is a woody, deciduous or semi-evergreen vine in the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae). It is native to Japan, Korea, Manchuria and China and has naturalized in the United States where it is considered highly invasive.
It can be both a twining, climbing vine or prostrate and trailing groundcover, spreading both by rhizomes and above-ground runners as well as wide dispersal of the seeds by birds and small mammals that eat the berries. It is a rampant grower that can reach 16 to 29 feet high and 3 to 6 feet wide. It is capable of growing over plants and smothering them. It can displace native species by outcompeting plants for light, space, water and nutrients. Remove Japanese honeysuckle where possible and keep it away from landscape plants. Choose less problematic or native alternatives; suggestions are listed in the left sidebar. NC State Weed Specialist Classified as Highly Invasive.
Quick ID Hints:
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It flowers in the late spring to fall and is very fragrant.
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It has dark green foliage.
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The first leaves of the season are lobed; later leaves are unlobed.
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The bark is light brown and peels in long strips.
Insects, Diseases and Other Plant Problems: No serious insect or disease problems. Weedy and invasive.
VIDEO created by Charlotte Glen as part of the Plants, Pests, and Pathogens series
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- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Aureorecticulata'
Yellow netted pattern on leaves - 'Hall's Prolific'
Flowers rapidly change to yellow after opening - 'Michell's Rose'
- 'Purpurea'
Purple-tinted deep green foliage
- 'Aureorecticulata'
- 'Aureorecticulata', 'Hall's Prolific', 'Michell's Rose', 'Purpurea'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Aureorecticulata'
Yellow netted pattern on leaves - 'Hall's Prolific'
Flowers rapidly change to yellow after opening - 'Michell's Rose'
- 'Purpurea'
Purple-tinted deep green foliage
- 'Aureorecticulata'
- 'Aureorecticulata', 'Hall's Prolific', 'Michell's Rose', 'Purpurea'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Lonicera
- Species:
- japonica
- Family:
- Caprifoliaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- The flowers are used in China as a folk remedy for snakebites.
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Layering
- Seed
- Stem Cutting
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Native to Japan, Korea, Manchuria and China.
- Wildlife Value:
- Birds and rabbits consume the fruits and disperse the seed. Semi-evergreen foliage is a source of winter forage for white-tailed deer.
- Play Value:
- Easy to Grow
- Fragrance
- Wildlife Cover/Habitat
- Wildlife Food Source
- Climbing Method:
- Twining
- Edibility:
- Nectar can be sucked from flowers without harm. Flowers are an ingredient in some Chinese dishes.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 16 ft. 0 in. - 29 ft. 6 in.
- Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Ground Cover
- Perennial
- Poisonous
- Vine
- Weed
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Semi-evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Climbing
- Creeping
- Multi-stemmed
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- High
- Texture:
- Fine
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Occasionally Dry
- Occasionally Wet
- Available Space To Plant:
- 3 feet-6 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Black
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Summer
- Fruit Type:
- Berry
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Fruits are rounded berries to 7 mm, starting from green, then to red, and then ripening to blue-black. One berry contains several seeds that are dark gray-brown and less than 1/8 inch long. One side of each seed is 3-ridged while the other is either flat or concave.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Raceme
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Fragrant
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Fall
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Irregular
- Trumpet
- Tubular
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- fused petals
- Flower Size:
- 1-3 inches
- Flower Description:
- White, fragrant flowers that fade to a creamy yellow and bloom from late spring throughout most of the summer, sometimes into fall. They are fragrant, 1-1.5" in size, and are borne in peduncled pairs in axils. The 2-lipped flowers are comprised of 5 petals united into a 1- to 2-inch long tube.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Semi-evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Glossy
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Purple/Lavender
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Elliptical
- Oblong
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Lobed
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Leaves are opposite, simple ovate to oblong-ovate, and entire. They have lobed margins and are finely pubescent on both sides in the juvenile stage.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Light Brown
- Surface/Attachment:
- Peeling
- Bark Description:
- Brownish bark that peels in long strips.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- Younger stems are reddish, fuzzy or slightly pubescent. Older stems are hollow.
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Landscape:
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Hummingbirds
- Moths
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Black Walnut
- Deer
- Drought
- Dry Soil
- Poor Soil
- Salt
- Problems:
- Invasive Species
- Poisonous to Humans
- Problem for Children
- Weedy
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Poisonous to Humans:
- Poison Severity:
- Medium
- Poison Symptoms:
- Vomiting, diarrhea, pupil dilation, cold sweat, rapid heartbeat, respiratory failure, convulsions, and coma. TOXIC ONLY IF LARGE QUANTITIES EATEN.
- Poison Toxic Principle:
- Vine with saponic and cyanogenic glycosides; fruits with carotenoids.
- Causes Contact Dermatitis:
- No
- Poison Part:
- Fruits
