Honeysuckle species

Lonicera species

How many honeysuckles are there?

The genus Lonicera comprises about 180 species of plants of the caprifoliaceae family that live in temperate zones. They can be shrubs or lianas.

They are climbers with perennial or deciduous leaves. All of them have opposite leaves and flowers with the bilabial corolla, and the corolla tube generally quite long.

Most flowers usually offer intense aromas and very sweet nectar to attract pollinators and favor pollination (moths, bees or birds).

In English they are called honeysuckles, a word referring to the nectar that the majority of the flowers of this gender produce.

Honeysuckle species

Among the most known species we have:

lonicera etrusca

Lonicera etrusca

  • Etruscan Honeysuckle (Lonicera etrusca) Like Lonicera caprifolium, it presents the upper leaves joined forming a kind of cup from where the flowers come out, however it differs from the common honeysuckle in that the flowers of the Etruscan honeysuckle are not seated but they are placed at the end of a peduncle.

The reddish fruits of this plant are also poisonous. It inhabits Mediterranean areas and may be deciduous or semimature.

Lonicera implexa

Lonicera implexa

  • Evergreen Honeysuckle: (Lonicera implexa) Mediterranean shrub up to 3 m. Yellowish red flowers that are born from the top leaves joined in a cup shape on peduncles. Orange fruits.

    Lonicera periclymenum

    Lonicera periclymenum

  • European honeysuckle: (Lonicera periclymenum) Native plant of Europe that reaches 6 m in height and grows in the forests. It presents creamy yellow flowers, white or pink and cream in the form of small trumpet and with a very good aroma. They are in bloom during the months of May and August.. Fruits are red

    Lonicera japonica

    Lonicera japonica

  • Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) From East Asia, it reaches 9 meters in height. It has been used as a garden plant in many parts of the world for its ease of growth and its ability to cover hedges or fences.

Its adaptive capacity makes it an invasive species in many places where it has been imported, to the point that it manages to kill many of the trees or shrubs on which it hangs, since its roots produce substances that stop the growth of the others plants.

It has thick leaves of a dark green and yellow flowers that appear in late summer or early fall. Its fruits are black.

Main species and varieties of Lonicera

Lonicera acuminata Wall.

Lonicera affinis

Lonicera alberti Regel

Lonicera albiflora Torr. & Gray

Lonicera alpeiensis Hsu et H.J.Wang

Lonicera alpigena

Lonicera altmannii Regel et Schmalh.

Lonicera x americana

Lonicera angustilfolia Wall. ex DC.

Lonicera anisocalyx Rehd.

Lonicera arborea

Lonicera arizonica Rehd.

Lonicera biflora

Lonicera bourtnei Hemsl.

Lonicera brevisepala Hsu et H. J. Wang

Lonicera buchananii Lace

Lonicera buddleioides Hsu et S. C. Cheng

Lonicera caerulea L.

Lonicera calcarata Hemsl.

Lonicera calvescens (Chun et How) Hsu et H. J.

Lonicera canadensis Bartr. ex Marsh.

Lonicera caprifolium L.

Lonicera carnosifolia C. Y. Wu ex Hsu et H. J. Wang

Lonicera carnosifolis

Lonicera chrysantha Turcz. ex Ledeb.

Lonicera ciliosa (Pursh) Poir. ex DC.

Lonicera ciliosissima C. Y. Wu ex Hsu et H. J. Wang

Lonicera cinerea Pojark.

Lonicera codonantha Rehd.

Lonicera confusa (Sweet) DC.

Lonicera conjugialis Kellogg

Lonicera crassifolia Batal.

Lonicera cyanocarpa Franch.

Lonicera dasystyla Rehd.

Lonicera deflexicalix

Lonicera dioica var. dioica L.

Lonicera elisae Franch.

Lonicera etrusca

Lonicera fargesii Franch.

Lonicera ferdinandii Franch.

Lonicera ferruginea Rehd.

Lonicera flava SimsLonicera fragilis Lévl.

Lonicera fragrantissima Lindl. et Paxt.

Lonicera fulvotomentösa Hsu et S.C. Cheng

Lonicera glutinosa

Lonicera gracilipes glabra

Lonicera graebneri Rehd.

Lonicera gynochlamydea Hemsl.

Lonicera x heckrottii

Lonicera hellenica

Lonicera hemsleyana (O. Ktze.) Rehd.

Lonicera henryi

Lonicera heterophylla

Lonicera hirsuta Eat.

Lonicera hispida Pall. ex Roem. et Schult.

Lonicera hispidula (Lindl.) Dougl. ex Torr. & Gray

Lonicera humilis Kar. et Kir.

Lonicera hypoglauca Miq.

Lonicera hypoleuca Decne.

Lonicera implexa

Lonicera inconspicua Batal.

Lonicera inodora W. W. Smith
Lonicera interrupta Benth.

Lonicera involucrata Banks ex Spreng.

Lonicera japonica Thunb.

Lonicera jilongensis Hsu et H.J. Wang

Lonicera kansuensis (Batal. ex Rehd.)

Lonicera kawakamii (Hayata) Masam.

Lonicera korolkowii Stapf

Lonicera lanceolata Wall.

Lonicera ledebourii

Lonicera ligustrina Wall.

Lonicera litangensis Batal.

Lonicera longilflora (Lindl.) DC.

Lonicera longituba H. T. Chang ex Hsu et H. J. Wang

Lonicera maackii (Rupr.) Maxim.
Lonicera macrantha (D. Don) Spreng.

Lonicera macranthoides Hand.-Mazz.

Lonicera maximowiczii (Rupr.) Regel

Lonicera microphylla Wllld. ex Roem. et Schult.

Lonicera minuta Batal.

Lonicera minutifolia Kitam.

Lonicera modesta Rehd.

Lonicera morrowii Gray

Lonicera mucronata Rehd.

Lonicera myrtilllus Hook. f. et Thoms.

Lonicera nervosa Maxim.

Lonicera nigra Lonicera

Lonicera nitida

Lonicera nubium (Hand.-Mazz.) Hand.-Mazz.

Lonicera nummulariifolia

Lonicera oblata Hao ex Hsu et H.J. Wang

Lonicera oblongifolia

Lonicera oiwakensis Hayata

Lonicera oreodoxa H. Smith ex Rehd.

Lonicera orientalis

Lonicera pampaninii Lévl.

Lonicera periclymenum L.

Lonicera pileata Oliv.

Lonicera pilosa

Lonicera praeflorens Batal.

Lonicera prostrata Rehd.

Lonicera x purpusii

Lonicera pyrenaica

Lonicera quinquelocularis

Lonicera reticulata Raf.

Lonicera retusa Franch.

Lonicera rhytidophylla Hand.-Mazz.

Lonicera rupicola Hook. f. et Thoms.

Lonicera ruprechtiana Regel

Lonicera saccata Rehd.

Lonicera schneideriana Rehd.

Lonicera semenovii Regel

Lonicera sempervirens L.

Lonicera serreana Hand.-Mazz.

Lonicera setifera Franch.

Lonicera similis Hemsl.

Lonicera spinosa Jacq. ex Walp.

Lonicera splendida

Lonicera standishii Jacques

Lonicera stephanocarpa Franch.

Lonicera subaequalis Rehd.

Lonicera subhispida Nakai

Lonicera sublabiata Hsu et H. J. Wang

Lonicera subspicata Hook. & Arn.

Lonicera szechuanica Batal.

Lonicera taipeiensis

Lonicera tangutica Maxlm.

Lonicera tatarica L.

Lonicera tatarinowii Maxim.

Lonicera x tellmanniana

Lonicera tomentella Hook.f. et Thoms.

Lonicera tragophylla Hemsl.

Lonicera tricalysioides

Lonicera trichogyne

Lonicera trichogyne Rehd.

Lonicera trichosantha Bur. et Franch.

Lonicera trichosepala (Rehd.) Hsu

Lonicera tubliflora Rehd.

Lonicera utahensis S. Wats.

Lonicera venulosa

Lonicera villosa (Michx.) J.A. Schultes

Lonicera virgultorum W. W. Smith

Lonicera webbiana Wall. ex DC.

Lonicera x bella

Lonicera x heckrottii Rehd.

Lonicera x minutiflora Zabel

Lonicera x notha Zabel

Lonicera x xylosteoides Tausch

Lonicera xylosteum L.

Lonicera yunnanensis Franch.

More information on honeysuckle.

This article was endorsed by Julián Masats - Technical agricultural engineer specialized in horticulture and gardening.
Editorial
Written by Editorial Botanical-online team in charge of content writing

5 October, 2020

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