Japanese Honeysuckle

Japanese Honeysuckle

Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) is a woody vine from eastern Asia and was brought to the U.S. for ornamental purposes, erosion control, and to provide food for wildlife. It has smooth, glossy leaves that are hairy on the underside and white, yellow, or pink tubular flowers. Japanese honeysuckle can grow up to thirty feet of stem per year and can further spread by seed, rhizomes, and rooting at nodes that touch the ground. Birds eat the seeds and spread them further from the mother plant. Japanese honeysuckle is versatile and can grow well in both sunny and shady conditions. Its aggressive growth can smother native plants and girdle trees and shrubs as it wraps around them cutting off circulation. Japanese honeysuckle also produces allelopathogens, which inhibit plant growth, furthering its dominance in an area. Allelopathogens are organisms that produce biochemicals, called allelochemicals, that impact the growth and survival of other organisms. 

Keys To Success

When the plant is still small, hand pulling is effective but for larger vines that dominate an area, cutting and painting the stumps with glyphosate is more appropriate. Cutting and painting ensures that only the target plant is affected by the herbicide and avoids affecting nearby desirable plants. Repeated hand pulling or herbicide application may be necessary; make sure to work within the confines of the herbicide label.