Lonicera japonica

The Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica; Suikazura 忍冬 or スイカズラ in Japanese) is a species of honeysuckle native eastern Asia including Japan, Korea, northern and eastern China, and Taiwan, which is a major invasive species in North America.

It is a twining vine able to climb up to 10 m high or more in trees, with opposite, simple oval leaves 3–8 cm long and 2–3 cm broad. The flowers are double-tongued, opening white and fading to yellow, and sweetly scented. The fruit is a globose dark blue berry 5–8 mm diameter containing numerous seeds.

This species is sold by American nurseries, often as the cultivar 'Hall's Prolific' (Lonicera Japonica var. Halliana). It is an effective groundcover, and has pleasant, strong-smelling flowers. It can be cultivated by seed, cuttings, or layering. In addition, it will spread itself via shoots if given enough space to grow.

In both its native and introduced range, Japanese Honeysuckle can be a significant source of food for deer, rabbits, hummingbirds and other wildlife.

Japanese Honeysuckle has become naturalized in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, New Zealand and much of the United States, including Hawaii, as well as a number of Pacific and Caribbean islands.

In the United States Japanese Honeysuckle is classified as a noxious weed in Illinois and Virginia, and is banned in New Hampshire. It grows extremely rapidly in parts of America such as southwestern Ohio and is virtually impossible to control in naturalized woodland edge zones due to its rapid spread via tiny fruit seeds.

It forms a tall dense woody shrub layer that aggressively displaces native plants. It's also very difficult to manage in semi-wild areas, such as in large rural yards.



Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonicera_japonica


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