L. japonica is a perennial woody climber vine, twining or clambering, much branched, 5-8 m in length. Stems strong, flexible, cylindrical, pilose, brown, smooth. Leaves opposite;blades 4-7.5 × 1.2-3 cm, lanceolate, oblong-lanceolate, or elliptic-lanceolate, chartaceous, glabrous except for some hairs on the midvein, the apex acute or obtuse, abruptly acuminate or mucronate, the base rounded, subtruncate, or obtuse, the margins entire revolute, ciliate;upper surface dark green, dull;lower surface pale green, dull, with a prominent midvein;petioles 5-12 mm long, brown, pubescent. Flowers fragrant, sessile, in pairs at the end of short axillary branches;bracts 2, at the base of each flower, ovate, rounded, ca. 0.7 mm long, ciliate. Calyx green, tubular, ca. 3 mm long, the sepals 5, subulate, ca. 1 mm long;corolla white, turning yellowish when mature, 2.2-2.5 cm long, infundibuliform, the tube puberulous outside;the limb with 5 lobes, one of which is longer (ca. 2.2 cm) and free;stamens 4, exserted;style exserted, with the stigmatic surface claviform (Acevedo-Rodriguez, 2005). Fruits are sessile berries, 0.4-0.7 cm in diameter, hard and green when immature, and black and soft (even fluid-filled) when ripe. Fruits contain two or three seeds that are approximately 0.2 cm in diameter, ovate to oblong, with a flat to concave inner surface and three ridges on the dorsal surface.
Related invasive species
- Lonicera japonica
Related Farm Practice
- Ridging
- Cuttings
- Harvesting
L. japonica is an aggressive vine which develops into a smothering mass of belowground runners and aboveground intertwined stems that cover extensive areas of the ground or climb up trees for many metres. It interferes with forestry operations and orchards and smothers native vegetation, preventing natural successional processes by killing or weakening young trees and preventing seedling regeneration. The fleshy fruit are spread by birds and animals, and runners go for long distances underground. It cannot be controlled simply by hand, but herbicides are moderately effective.
L. japonica smothers other plants at all growth stages, i.e. it covers bare ground (pre-emergence) right through to occupying cut-over (post harvest) forests.