Common name: Japanese Honeysuckle
Lonicera japonica Thunb. ex Murray APNI* 
Description: Climber or scrambling shrub, usually 7–10 m high, semideciduous, young stems pubescent.
Leaves opposite with a prominent ridge between opposite petioles; lamina ovate to oblong-ovate, 3–8 cm long, 1–4 cm wide, apex short-acuminate to obtuse, base rounded, margins entire, both surfaces sparsely hairy but upper surface glabrescent with age; petiole 3–10 mm long.
Flowers paired; peduncle 5–50 mm long, bracts 5–20 mm long, green. Flowers white, often purplish outside, turning yellowish, fragrant. Corolla bilabiate, 30–50 mm long, upper lip irregularly 4-lobed.
Fruit ovoid, 6–10 mm long, shiny black when mature; seeds brown c. 3mm long.
Flowering: autumn.
Distribution and occurrence: Frequently cultivated, sometimes naturalized in moist gullies, especially in the Sydney district; north from the A.C.T. Native of E Asia.
NSW subdivisions: *NC, *CC, *SC, *NT, *CT, *ST, *NWS
Other Australian states: *Qld *S.A.
Text by G. J. Harden; updated Louisa Murray [Oct 2017]
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 3 (1992); Flora of China Vol 19, P 621.
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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