Where Did the Japanese Honeysuckle Originate From?
Japanese honeysuckle, a twining, woody vine with fragrant flowers and small berries, is found throughout the east and southeast. Imported from Asia as an ornamental, the plant likes good soil and full sun; it grows on fences, by the road, along railroads and in woods and fields. It cannot tolerate the cold, which has prevented it from spreading further north. Does this Spark an idea?
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Description
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The Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) grows quickly, overwhelming other plants. Its vines trail along the ground and climb both vertically and horizontally over plants and objects that it encounters. The vines are green and hairy when they are young and become woody, brown and hollow when they are older.
The plant has two leaves opposite one another on each node along the vine; the leaves, about 3 inches long, are egg-shaped and hairy, with smooth edges. The trumpet-shaped, flagrant yellow flowers appear in pairs along the vine. The small, black berries are firm and shiny; they contain several dark, grayish-brown seeds less than an eighth of an inch long. One side of the seed has three ridges; the other is concave or flat.
Reproduction
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The invasive Japanese honeysuckle reproduces both by seeds and by nodes along creeping vines. Its roots are extensive, often going 3 feet deep and spreading 10 feet wide. The above-ground vines can grow more than 30 feet in one year.
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Growing Seasons
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In the south the leaves are semievergreen and persist. During mild northern winters, the plant sheds leaves in the fall and grows them again in the spring. It flowers from May through July; the seeds ripen from September through November. It does not do well in the shade or under a forest canopy.
Benefits
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The Japanese honeysuckle as been used to provide food and shelter for wildlife and as ground cover to control soil erosion. White-tailed deer forage on the plant in the winter. Birds eat the berries and disseminate the seeds.
Problems
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The plant is considered a serious pest because of its ability to strangle out native species. It can overwhelm other plants and starve them out of sunlight at the edge of forests and near streams. Herbicides that attack foliage can be used on the Japanese honeysuckle. They are best applied in the late fall after other deciduous species have lost their leaves.
History
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The Japanese honeysuckle was introduced into New York from East Asia in 1806 as an ornamental ground cover. The first report that it escaped cultivation was in 1898.
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References
- Photo Credit http://bioimages.vanderbilt.edu/
