Lonicera japonica

Japanese Honeysuckle at Symonston, ACT

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Identification history

Lonicera japonica	9 Dec 2016	Mike
Lonicera periclymenum	6 Nov 2016	Mike
Unidentified	6 Nov 2016	Mike

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6 comments

Mike wrote:

7 Nov 2016

Queensland Weeds of Australia site http://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/media/Html/lonicera_japonica.htm says:
Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) can be confused with winter honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima) and European honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum). However, these species can be distinguished by the following differences:
Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) is a climber or scrambling shrubby plant with hairy (i.e. pubescent) younger stems. Its flowers are borne in pairs in the leaf forks and its mature fruit a black in colour.
winter honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima) is an upright shrubby plant with hairless (i.e. glabrous) younger stems. Its flowers are borne in pairs in the leaf forks and its mature fruit are red in colour.
European honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum) is a climber or scrambling shrubby plant with hairy (i.e. pubescent) reddish-coloured younger stems. Its flowers are borne in dense clusters at the tips of the branches and its mature fruit are red in colour.

Mike wrote:

7 Nov 2016

I will wait until it fruits but maybe sighting http://canberranaturemap.org/Community/Sightings/Details/1973522 will need to be changed.

MichaelMulvaney wrote:

8 Nov 2016

Mike not sure that the earlier sighting isn't Lonicera japonica, but Lonicera periclymenum is a new one for me and there may not be two Lonicera species at the one location

Mike wrote:

8 Nov 2016

Michael, the other sighting was suggested as Lonicera japonica by Ryu and I confirmed it but at the time I did not know about Lonicera periclymenum. L. japonica has flowers in pairs from the leaf axils (with two or more pairs near the stem tip) while L. periclymenum is described as having clusters of flowers at the tips of the branches (as shown in the other sighting. Seeing it is a weed from Queensland to Tasmania it is a possibility. I will wait for flowers - there is plenty of L. japonica around in other places to remind me.

Mike wrote:

10 Dec 2016

I have been back and photographed it in flower http://canberranaturemap.org/Community/Sightings/Details/3367527. The flowers are in the axils (as well as some clustering towards the tips). Some leaves are more reddish than on other plants but I say it is L. japonica, so not a differnet weed to contend with.

MichaelMulvaney wrote:

4 Jan 2017

Thanks be for that but I think we will need to keep our eyes out for clustered flowers at the tips of what we thin are Japanese Honeysuckle

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