Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)

Japanese honeysuckle is a woody climber or scrambling shrub with white, pink or yellow fragrant flowers. It is an environmental weed that smothers and kills native plants.

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How does this weed affect you?

Japanese honeysuckle is an environmental weed in moist bushland areas of southern Australia. It smothers and out-competes native plants. It can also stop the regeneration of native species.

Human poisoning and health

Japanese honeysuckle is toxic to humans, causing discomfort and irritation but is not life-threatening. The berries and leaves are poisonous if eaten, causing gastro-intestinal irritation. It irritates the skin and contact with the plant causes rashes.

What to do if a person is poisoned:

• If the patient is unconscious, unresponsive or having difficulty breathing dial 000 or get to the emergency section of a hospital immediately.
• If the patient is conscious and responsive call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 or your doctor.

What does it look like?

Japanese honeysuckle is a woody climber. It scrambles over the ground and can climb up to 10 m high in trees and can form mats over 1 m thick. In Australia it is only known to be evergreen but in colder countries it is deciduous.

Leaves are:

• dark green and shiny above and yellowish green below
• mostly 3–8 cm long and 1–4 cm wide
• oval or oblong with pointed tips (often lobed on seedlings)
• smooth on the edges
• sparsely hairy on both sides when young, especially along the lower midrib
• less hairy or hairless on the top side when older
• opposite along the stem with a ridge across the stem between the leaves.

Flowers are:

• white, often tinged pink or purple on the outer side, yellowing with age
• tubular with two lips, the upper lip has 4 fused lobes and lower has 2 fused lobes
• 3–5 cm long on stalks 5–50 mm long
• hairy
• fragrant
• in pairs at the leaf bases
• present from January till July.

Fruit are:

• oval-shaped berries
• black, shiny and soft when ripe with 2-3 seeds
• 6–10 mm long
• mature in summer and autumn.

Seeds are:

• brown
• oval
• about 2-3 mm long.

Stems are:

• red or purplish and densely hairy when young
• brown and hairless when older.

Where is it found?

In NSW, most Japanese honeysuckle plants have been found in the Greater Sydney and Hunter regions. Plants have also been found in the Central Tablelands, Northern Tablelands, North Coast, and South East regions.

Japanese honeysuckle is native to Japan, Taiwan and temperate regions of China.  It was brought to Australia as an ornamental plant. 

What type of environment does it grow in?

Japanese honeysuckle grows best in moist, warm temperate climates with more than 600 mm of rain per year. Plants also grow in subtropical areas in north east NSW and south east Queensland. They are frost tolerant and grow from sea level to the tablelands.

Japanese honeysuckle tolerates a wide range of soil types, however it is most commonly found in alluvial soil. Plants can grow in shade but grow faster in full sun and prefer disturbed sites. They have been found growing in:

• gullies and the banks of waterways
• forests, usually the edges or in gaps
• moist grasslands and flood plains
• woodlands and heathlands
• bush remnants in urban areas.

How does it spread?

By seed

Each fruit has up to 10 seeds and fruit production varies between sites. Most seed germinate within the first year and less than 1% of seeds are still viable after 3 years. Seeds are mostly spread by birds that eat the berries. They are also spread by moving water and by people dumping garden waste.

By plant parts

Japanese honeysuckle can grow from stem fragments when they contact the ground. Fragments are spread by moving water, machinery (especially slashers), and people dumping garden waste.

References

Coutts-Smith, A.J. and Downey, P.O. (2006). Impact of weeds on threatened biodiversity in New South Wales. Technical Series no. 11, CRC for Australian Weed Management, Adelaide.

Muyt A (2001) Bush invaders of South-East Australia. RG and FJ Richardson, Melbourne.

PlantNET (The NSW Plant Information Network System) (2020). Lonicera japonica Thunb. ex Murray. NSW Flora Online. Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney. Retrieved 5 December 2024 from: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Lonicera~japonica

Richardson, FJ, Richardson, RG, Shepherd, RCH. (2006).Weeds of the south-east: An identification guide for Australia. (R.G. and F.J. Richardson, Melbourne).

Starr, F., Starr, K., & Loope, L. (2003). Lonicera japonica. Caprifoliaceae. United States Geological Survey–Biological Resources Division.

Williams, P. A., Timmins, S. M., Smith, J. M., & Downey, P. O. (2001). The biology of Australian weeds. 38. Lonicera japonica Thunb. Plant Protection Quarterly, 16(3), 90-100.

More information

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Control

Successful weed control relies on follow up after the initial efforts. This means looking for and killing regrowth or new seedlings. Using a combination of control methods is usually more successful.

Physical removal

By hand

Small seedlings can be hand pulled. Larger plants will need to be dug out to remove the crown and roots. Contact your local council for disposal advice.

Slashing

Mowing limits growth and spread of Japanese honeysuckle but does not eradicate it. Ensure that mowers or slashers are thoroughly cleaned by removing all plant fragments before moving out of the infested area. Do not slash plants with fruit.

Chemical control

Follow-up treatments for regrowth are often required.

Spraying

Apply herbicide when the plants are actively growing. Ensure that all the leaves are covered. If the thicket is dense, cut back or burn the vine and then spray the regrowth.

Cut stump method

Cut trunks or stems and apply herbicide to the stump within 15 seconds of cutting. Use this method when the plants are actively growing but avoid treating in very hot dry weather.

Herbicide options

See Using herbicides for more information.

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PERMIT 14249 Expires 31/03/2030
Picloram 100 g/L + Triclopyr 300 g/L + Aminopyralid 8 g/L (Grazon® Extra)
Rate: 250-500 mL per 100 L
Comments: Thoroughly cover the foliage of plants up to 1.5 m tall via knapsack or handgun. Apply from October to May. See permit for further critical comments.
Withholding period: Where product is used to control woody weeds in pastures there is a restriction of 12 weeks for use of treated pastures for making hay and silage; using hay or other plant material for compost, mulch or mushroom substrate; or using animal waste from animals grazing on treated pastures for compost, mulching, or spreading on pasture/crops.
Herbicide group: 4 (previously group I), Disruptors of plant cell growth (Auxin mimics)
Resistance risk: Moderate

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PERMIT 14249 Expires 31/03/2030
Triclopyr 300 g/L + Picloram 100 g/L (Various products)
Rate: 250-500 mL per 100 L
Comments: Thoroughly cover the foliage via knapsack or handgun. Only use on plants up to 1.5 m tall and apply from October to May. See permit for further critical comments.
Withholding period: Nil.
Herbicide group: 4 (previously group I), Disruptors of plant cell growth (Auxin mimics)
Resistance risk: Moderate

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PERMIT 9907 Expires 31/03/2030
Glyphosate 360 g/L (Various products)
Rate: 400 mL in 600 mL of water
Comments: Cut stump application
Withholding period: Nil.
Herbicide group: 9 (previously group M), Inhibition of 5-enolpyruvyl shikimate-3 phosphate synthase (EPSP inhibition)
Resistance risk: Moderate

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PERMIT 9907 Expires 31/03/2030
Metsulfuron-methyl 600 g/kg (Various products)
Rate: 10 - 20 g in 100 L of water plus surfactant at 100mL/ 100L of final spray volume.
Comments: Spot spray application.
Withholding period: Nil (recommended not to graze for 7 days before treatment and for 7 days after treatment to allow adequate chemical uptake in target weeds).
Herbicide group: 2 (previously group B), Inhibition of acetolactate and/or acetohydroxyacid synthase (ALS, AHAS inhibitors)
Resistance risk: High

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Picloram 44.7 g/L + Aminopyralid 4.47 g/L (Vigilant II ®)
Rate: Undiluted
Comments: Cut the stem close to the ground (10 cm or less). Apply a 3–5 mm layer of gel onto stems less than 2 cm diameter. Apply 5 mm layer on stems above 2 cm diameter.
Withholding period: Nil.
Herbicide group: 4 (previously group I), Disruptors of plant cell growth (Auxin mimics)
Resistance risk: Moderate

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Biosecurity duty

The content provided here is for information purposes only and is taken from the NSW Biosecurity Act 2015 and its subordinate legislation, and the Regional Strategic Weed Management Plans (published by each Local Land Services region in NSW). It describes the state and regional priorities for weeds in New South Wales, Australia.

Area	Duty
All of NSW	General Biosecurity Duty All pest plants are regulated with a general biosecurity duty to prevent, eliminate or minimise any biosecurity risk they may pose. Any person who deals with any plant, who knows (or ought to know) of any biosecurity risk, has a duty to ensure the risk is prevented, eliminated or minimised, so far as is reasonably practicable.

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Reviewed 2025