A native of China and Japan.  Japanese Honeysuckle is a vigorous climber with soft green leaves and pale yellow, sweetly scented flowers which self layers and quickly grows up and over shrubs and small trees, smothering them. The black berries are carried by the birds.

Japanese Honeysuckle is a vigorous, fast growing scrambling and climbing shrub with distinctive pinkish new stems. Old stems can become thick and gnarly.

 

Spring is a good time to identify Japanese Honeysuckle, a creeper with its distinctive small yellow cream to white flowers with a pink tube. Flowers occur in pairs and mostly in spring to autumn. Flowers are fragrant and nectar-filled.

Small shiny black berries 6–10 mm long occur in autumn.

 

Impact on bushland

Japanese Honeysuckle grows rapidly and forms a dense shade over shrubs and low canopy trees, blocking the light, breaking branches and causing loss of biodiversity.

Control

Japanese Honeysuckle twines in and around other plants, making it difficult to control.

Vines climbing up shrubs or trees:

  • Scrape each stem as far as possible and paint; suspended vines can then be cut and left in place.
  • Suspended vines are easily identified as they look like gnarly paperbark vines.
  • Cut and paint large crowns and scrape and paint as many roots as possible.

Vines growing on the ground:

  • Pull out by hand, making sure all root and stem parts are removed. Cut material can be spread out off the ground. Once dead, it will decompose in place.
  • Where the foliage is dense, treat with herbicide if there are no native plants or water nearby.

Berries are spread by birds, so treat plants before they fruit.

Do not pull dead or alive vines out of trees as this may damage the tree and it may be habitat for microbats and other small animals.