Photo by Chris Evans, University of Illinois, Bugwood.org JAPANESE HONEYSUCKLE LONICERA JAPONICA Some pretty vines are pretty invasive in South Carolina forests! of leaf nitrogen, leading to stunted growth & decreased Japanese honeysuckle is not only invasive; it’s a tree killer! You Photosynthesis; may have noticed Japanese honeysuckle lately, especially now, • It may be allelopathic! Allelopathic plants alter soil as its flowers have made their grand debut for the season. chemistry to inhibit growth of surrounding plants, These delicate, pleasantly fragrant blooms first open white and including pines; later fade to yellow. Honeysuckle’s copper-colored, wiry vines • Like many invasives, it has few predators. are lined with oppositely paired, oval-shaped leaves. Although it was originally introduced to combat erosion, Japanese honeysuckle has become a fierce invasive in South Carolina forests in need of control. Though it is favored as an attractive flowering vine and is planted ornamentally, in gardens or tolerated along fence lines and forest edges in residential settings, Japanese honeysuckle is a significant threat to South Carolina’s forests. Help protect South Carolina’s urban and rural forests by controlling invasives and planting alternative plants instead. There are many attractive, flowering native vine alternatives including, Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus Japanese honeysuckle flowers quinquefolia), Coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) and Trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans). For more information on identification and control, refer to the Clemson Invasive Species Program website at https://www. clemson.edu/public/regulatory/plant-protection/invasive/ or contact David Jenkins at the SC Forestry Commission at [email protected]. QUICK FACTS ABOUT JAPANESE HONEYSUCKLE • It is an extremely rapid grower and commonly forms tangled thickets; • It is nicknamed a “tree killer,” and for good reason! Honeysuckle’s woody, climbing vines often wrap around and strangle tree trunks, cutting off water & nutrients that leads to tree death; • It hogs resources on a site and deprives other forest plants Japanese honeysuckle foliage.