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Scientific: Lonicera japonica
Common: Japanese honeysuckle
Family: Caprifoliaceae
Origin: Eastern Asia, widely naturalized in the eastern United States

Invasive Alert: Japanese honysuckle can be highly invasive in non-arid climates and is restricted or banned in many parts of the United States because of its aggressive habit of growth.

Pronounciation: Lo-NI-sir-a ja-PON-i-ca

Hardiness zones
Sunset
9-24
USDA 5-11 (arid regions only because of its invasive habit in more moist climates)

Landscape Use: Used primarily for floral fragrance in contained landscape settings, patio containers, small landscape borders, fence and wall cover.

Form & Character: Prostrate, twining, vining, climbing, sweet, suffocating, AGGRESSIVE.

Growth Habit: Deciduous to evergreen, woody, broadleaf perennial vine (depending on climate) that will vigorously spread to 50 to 100 feet or more if not properly contained.

Foliage/Texture: Leaves are medium to dark green, opposite, simple, ovate, 1.25-inches wide to 3-inches long, leaf margins sometimes sinuate. Young leaves and stems somewhat pubescent. Stems will form adventitious roots at nodes if contacting moist soil. Overall, Japanese honeysuckle has a medium texture.

Flowers & Fruits: Many terminal springtime flowers are intricate, flowers colors vary from white, yellow to pinkish red, prominent anthers, sweetly fragrant. Fruits showing in the fall and winter are small black drupes.

Seasonal Color: Springtime flowers. In cold weather climates, senescing foliage will turn bronze to red in fall.

Temperature: Tolerant of Phoenix cold, remaining evergreen. Foliage and tender stems will be damaged by a combination of intense summer heat and western sun.

Light: Full sun, vigor reduced by shade.

Soil: Tolerant

Watering: Regular supplemental water is neccesary the entire year for survival in Phoenix landscape settings.

Pruning: Depending on use, little to extensive pruning will be required.

Propagation: Seed, softwood stem or root cuttings.

Disease and Pests: None

Additional comments: Beware when contemplating use of this fragrant flowering vine! Its use in arid landscapes is permissable as its growth habit will be defined by the spatial extent of water application. In Arizona landscapes at higher elevation such as Sedona, Prescott, or Payson, Japanese honeysuckle will not be chronically "heat stressed" and as a result will need greater "landscape supervision". In areas receiving more than 20 inches of rainfall per year such as coastal central and northern California and the southeastern United States, Japanese honeysuckle can easily escape cultivated landscape settings thus requiring close observation and extensive maintenance. The cultivar 'Halliana' (Hall's Japanese honeysuckle) with yellow and white flowers is very common.