Commodities Affected:
Forestry and Natural Areas

 

Threat:

Japanese honeysuckle is a woody semi-evergreen vine with opposite, oval leaves. The white, fragrant flowers grow in pairs and turn yellow with age. The fruits are black berries, also in pairs.  Japanese honeysuckle vine climbs over vegetation in southern Indiana, forming dense patches that can overtop young forests. Note – do not buy, sell, or plant Japanese honeysuckle.

 

Distribution:

In 100 Years of Change in the Distribution of Common Indiana Weeds by William and Edith Overlease (2002) reported that Japanese honeysuckle was not found in Indiana in 1899 (Coulter’s Catalogue of Indiana Plants); however, in 1940 (Deam’s Flora) it was reported in Clark, Crawford, Floyd, Jefferson, Lawrence, Monroe, Perry, and Posey counties. In 2002 (Overlease) reported Japanese honeysuckle in the following 88 counties: Adams, Allen, Bartholomew, Benton, Blackford, Boone, Brown, Carroll, Cass, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Crawford, Daviess, Dearborn, Decatur, DeKalb, Delaware, Dubois, Elkhart, Fayette, Floyd, Fountain, Franklin, Fulton, Gibson, Grant, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Harrison,  Hendricks, Henry, Howard, Huntington, Jackson, Jasper, Jay, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Knox, Kosciusko, La Porte, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Martin, Miami, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Newton, Ohio, Orange, Owen, Parke, Perry, Pike, Porter, Posey, Pulaski, Putnam, Randolph, Ripley, Rush, St. Joseph, Scott, Shelby, Spencer, Steuben, Sullivan, Switzerland, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Union, Vanderburgh, Vermillion, Vigo, Wabash, Warren, Warrick, Washington, Wayne, Wells, White, and Whitely.  It should be noted that Japanese honeysuckle is much more aggressive in Southern Indiana.