Search Fact Sheets Virginia Tech Dendrology

Japanese honeysuckle Caprifoliaceae Lonicera japonica Thunb. Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet play symbol: LOJA
Leaf: Opposite, simple, ovate to oval, 1 to 2 inches long, entire margin, sometimes lobed, semi-evergreen, light green and somewhat pubescent.
Flower: Fragrant, 1/2 to 1 inch long, white or yellowish-white long petals, appearing in late spring.
Fruit: Small (1/4 inch diameter), black berry, often in pairs, ripen in fall and persist into early winter.
Twig: Slender, initially pubescent, light brown in color developing scaly, thin bark, hollow pith; buds small.
Bark: Long, shreddy peeling strips, light red-brown to straw-colored.
Form: A scrambling, twisting vine with no tendrils or aerial roots, forms dense thickets in bushes and trees and sprawls along the ground.
 Looks like: Asian bittersweet - false jessamine - western trumpet honeysuckle - pink honeysuckle

Japanese honeysuckle leaf image
Japanese honeysuckle flower image
Japanese honeysuckle fruit image
Japanese honeysuckle twig image
Japanese honeysuckle bark image
Japanese honeysuckle form image
Japanese honeysuckle map image

Additional Range Information: Lonicera japonica is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and may seed into the landscape. Download the full-size PDF map.
More Information: Fall Color
External Links: USDAFS FEIS Silvics - USDA Plants Database
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information