Honeysuckle Description

Honeysuckles bloom in late spring or summer.

Honeysuckles are flowering shrubs or vines in the Lonicera genus that are native to Asia and North America. According to Healthline, honeysuckle includes more than 300 different species. Many honeysuckle plants have medicinal properties as well as ornamental uses.

Identification

Honeysuckles usually grow between 20 and 30 feet tall depending on the species. They have oval-shaped leaves and spindly, hairy branches. Honeysuckles produce tube-shaped blossoms of various colors that grow approximately 1.2 inches long; the tubes contain a sweet, fragrant nectar that attracts hummingbirds and butterflies.

Types

Several common species include Japanese honeysuckle or Lonicera japonica, a semi-evergreen vine native to Eastern Asia that produces fragrant, showy white blossoms and small black fruit; Lonicera sempervirens, or trumpet honeysuckle, which is native to the United States and produces clusters of red blossoms followed by bright red berries; and Lonicera albiflora, or Texas honeysuckle, a 4-foot-tall shrub that produces showy white blossoms and reddish-orange fruits.

Considerations

Japanese, trumpet and Texas honeysuckle plants prefer full sunlight or partial shade; they tolerate a variety of different soil types and moisture levels. Other honeysuckle species vary depending upon the type or cultivar. Honeysuckles are susceptible to several diseases including powdery mildew, sooty mold and leaf scorch, among other conditions.

References

• Healthline: Honeysuckle
• University of Connecticut: Lonicera Japonica
• Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Lonicera Sempervirens (Coral Honeysuckle)
• Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Lonicera Albiflora (Western White Honeysuckle)
• Cornell University: Honeysuckle Disease Factsheets