Japanese Honeysuckle
INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES FACT SHEET
Japanese Honeysuckle
Lonicera japonica
Description:
Problem:
Origin:
Japanese honeysuckle is
Japanese honeysuckle
Japanese honeysuckle
a perennial woody vine
damages forest
is native to East Asia,
of the honeysuckle family communities by out
including Japan and
that spreads by seeds,
competing native
Korea. It was introduced
underground rhizomes,
vegetation for light, below- to the United States as
and above ground
ground resources, and by
an ornamental plant, for
Very High
runners. It has opposite
changing forest structure.
erosion control, and for
oval leaves, 4-8 cm. long,
The vines overtop adjacent wildlife forage and cover.
that are semi-evergreen to vegetation by twining
However, there are many
evergreen. Older stems
about, and completely
better plant choices for
are hollow with brownish
covering, small trees and
those uses (see back for
Low
Medium
bark that peels in long
shrubs. As it becomes
good alternatives).
strips. The flowers are
established it forms
fragrant, two-lipped,
a dense blanket that
and are borne in pairs.
endangers most shrubs,
The berries are black. It
herbs, and trees.
creates dense tangled
thickets by a combination
High
of stem branching, nodal
rooting, and vegetative
Pictures By (From Top to Bottom):
spread from rhizomes.
C. Bargeron, T. Bodner and J. H.
Miller @ www.invasive.org.
Distribution:
Picture By: The Nature Conservancy.
IPSAWG Ranking:
The species was
Invasive Plants
introduced into the
are a Threat to:
United States in 1806
HIGH
HIGH
MEDIUM
on Long Island, NY. It
• Forests and
now occurs throughout
wetlands
the eastern half of the
Ecological
Potential for
Difficulty of
Impact
Expansion
Control
United States, an area
• Native plants
encompassing 26 states.
IPSAWG Recommendation:
Japanese honeysuckle’s
• Perennial gardens
range is limited to the
•Do not buy, sell or plant Japanese honeysuckle in
north by severe winter
Indiana.
• Wildlife
temperatures and to
•Help by eradicating Japanese honeysuckle on your
property.
the west by insufficient
• Lakes and rivers
precipitation and
prolonged droughts. It is
This ranking illustrates the results of an assessment conducted
by the Invasive Plant Species Assessment Working Group
• Human Health
in all 92 Indiana counties,
(IPSAWG), which is made up of many organizations and agencies
but is much more
concerned about invasive plant species. IPSAWG’s goal is to assess
• Farmland
aggressive in Southern
which plant species may threaten natural areas in Indiana and
develop recommendations to reduce their use in the state.
Indiana.
For more information about IPSAWG and the assessment tool used
to rank invasive species, visit their website:
Date Updated: 10/06
www.invasivespecies.IN.gov
ALTERNATIVES
Control Methods:
to Japanese
Small populations of
honeysuckle may be
Be careful to follow label
Honeysuckle:
Japanese honeysuckle can treated with a glyphosate guidelines when using
be controlled by careful
herbicide. This is best
herbicide. Reapplication
hand-pulling and removal
applied at 5-8% with a
may be necessary to
of vines. Mowing twice
spray applicator in late
treat plants missed during
a year along fields and
autumn when other
the initial treatment.
roadsides can slow the
vegetation is dormant but Always read and
vegetative spread but stem Japanese honeysuckle is follow pesticide label
density may increase.
still physiologically active. directions.
Virgin’s bower
Prescribed burning can
(Clematis virginiana)
greatly decrease the
abundance within a habitat
and limit its spread for one
to two growing seasons.
Where other options
are difficult, Japanese
Japanese honeysuckle completely
Trumpet Honeysuckle
covering adjacent vegetation. (Picture
(Lonicera sempervirens)
By: J. M. Swearingen @ www.invasive.org)
Eight Easy Ways to Combat Invasive Plants
You can help stop the spread of invasive plants by following these 8 easy guidelines:
1. Ask for only non-
for invasive species, and
and natural areas to
invasive species when you
remove invasives before
assist ongoing efforts
Woolly Dutchman’s Pipe
acquire plants. Request that they become a problem. If to diminish the threat of
(Aristolochia tomentosa)
nurseries and garden
plants can’t be removed,
invasive plants.
Pictures By (Top to Bottom): D. Lieb-
centers sell only non-
at least prevent them from 7. Help educate your
man, J. Lepore and S. Baskauf.
invasive plants.
going to seed.
community through
2. Seek information on
4. Clean your boots before personal contacts and in
Other Alternatives:
invasive plants. Sources
and after visiting a natural
such settings as garden
Virgina Creeper
include botanical gardens,
area to prevent the spread clubs and civic groups.
(Parthenocissus
horticulturists,
of invasive plant seeds.
8. Support public
quinquefolia)
conservationists, and
5. Don’t release aquarium
policies and programs to
Crossvine
government agencies.
plants into the wild.
control invasive plants.
(Bignonia capreolata)
3. Scout your property
6. Volunteer at local parks
For More Information:
Not Recommended:
American bittersweet
On this assessment and IPSAWG:
(Celastrus scandens)
IPSAWG
While American bittersweet
www.invasivespecies.IN.gov
is native and non-
On identification and control techniques:
invasive, unfortunately,
The Nature Conservancy’s Wildland Weeds
nurseries often mislabel
www.tncweeds.ucdavis.edu
Oriental bittersweet as
On native plant alternatives and sources:
American bittersweet. It
Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society
is very difficult to find true
www.inpaws.org
American bittersweet for
sale.
This grant project made possible with United States Forest Service funds
administered by the IDNR, Division of Forestry.
