Japanese honeysuckle

Lonicera japonica

Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) is a woody, perennial, evergreen to semi-evergreen vine that trails along the ground and can climb to more than 80 ft. in length.

Leaves are opposite, oval. and 1 to 2.5 in. long. Flowering occurs from April to July, when showy, fragrant, tubular, whitish-pink flowers develop in the axils of the leaves. The flowers turn cream-yellow as they age. The small, shiny globular fruits turn from green to black as they ripen. Each fruit contains 2 to 3 small brown to black seeds.

On warmer days in winter, this pernicious vine can be treated by spraying the foliage with a 3% triclopyr solution. Often, Japanese honeysuckle grows over native vegetation, so spraying it in the dormant season will not affect desirable plants. Prescribed burning, especially on low humidity days, can also set back Japanese honeysuckle, but may not kill it.

Identification and fact sheets

Representative photos of Japanese honeysuckle:

Japanese honeysuckle impact, abundance, and trend in Missouri

Above: Japanese honeysuckle impact, abundance, and trend in Missouri

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