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. The species epithet is Latin for “Japanese.” 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: Flowers appear in the late spring to fall and are very fragrant. Flowers are white but age to buff or yellow. It has dark green foliage. The first leaves of the season are lobed; later leaves are unlobed. 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 More information on Lonicera .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
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
3 feet-6 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 16 ft. 0 in. - 29 ft. 6 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
High
Canopy layer
6 - Vine (vertical)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Climbing; Creeping; Multi-stemmed; Spreading
Texture
Fine
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen; Deciduous; Semi-evergreen
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Oblong; Ovate
Leaf margin
Entire; Lobed
Leaf feel
Glossy
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
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.
Fall color
Brown/Copper; Purple/Lavender
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; White
Flower value
Edible; Fragrant; Showy
Flower form
Raceme
Flower shape
Irregular; Trumpet; Tubular
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
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.
Bloom time
Fall; Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Black
Fruit type
Berry
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
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.
Bark color
Light Brown
Bark detail
Brownish bark that peels in long strips.
Stem color
Brown/Copper
Stem detail
Younger stems are reddish, fuzzy or slightly pubescent. Older stems are hollow.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
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.
Attracts
Butterflies; Hummingbirds; Moths; Songbirds
Play value
Easy to Grow; Fragrance; Wildlife Cover/Habitat; Wildlife Food Source
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Flowers
Harvest time
Fall; Summer
Fruit type
Berry
Edibility
Nectar can be sucked from flowers without harm. Flowers are an ingredient in some Chinese dishes.
Uses (ethnobotany)
The flowers are used in China as a folk remedy for snakebites.