Japanese Honeysuckle -introduced (*Lonicera japonica)

Family: Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle family).

Native of China and Japan.

Occurrence: A weed of damp gullies. The plant photographed was in leakage from a water race. Most areas of north-central Victoria are too dry for this weed.

Identification:

• it is a climber, growing in damp areas
• the leaves are oval, shortly stalked and in pairs
• the flowers are white or cream-white, and are two-lipped
• the fruit is a dark coloured berry
• the upper lip is 4-lobed, the lower lip is narrow
• the leaves are oval.

Japanese Honeysuckle is more common near Melbourne. It is a weed of many parts of the world, where it smothers other plants.

Photos: 1,2,3: Japanese Honeysuckle. Chewton.