Kingdom: Plantae
(Unranked): Angiosperms
(Unranked): Eudicots
(Unranked): Asterids
Order: Dipsacales
Family: Caprifoliaceae
Genus: Lonicera
Species: There about 180 species worldwide.
Common names: Honeysuckles, Woodbine,
Lonicera are arching shrubs or twining vines in the family Caprifoliaceae, native to the Northern Hemisphere. Most species of Lonicera are hardy twining climbers, with a large minority of shrubby habit. The leaves are opposite, simple oval, 1–10 cm long; most are deciduous but some are evergreen. Many of the species have sweetly-scented, bilaterally symmetrical flowers that produce sweet, edible nectar, and most flowers are borne in clusters of two. Both shrubby and vining sorts have strongly fibrous stems which have been used for binding and textiles. Most honeysuckle berries are attractive to wildlife, which has led to species such as L. japonica and L. maackii spreading invasively outside of their home ranges.
Several species of honeysuckle have become invasive when introduced outside their native range, particularly in New Zealand and the United States. Invasive species include L. japonica, L. maackii, L. morrowii, and L. tatarica.
a new flowering bud.
