Lonicera fragrantissima
Winter Honeysuckle
Caprifoliaceae
ExpandHabitat
- native to eastern China
- hardy to zone 4
Habit and Form
- widespreading, deciduous shrub
- irregular, rounded form
- up to 10' tall, with and equal or greater width
- medium texture
- fast growth rate
Summer Foliage
- opposite, simple leaves
- simple, deciduous leaves
- elliptic leaf shape
- 1" to 3" long
- dull blue-green leaf color
Autumn Foliage
- no fall color
- leaves drop green
Flowers
- creamy, white flowers
- fragrant, lemon-scented
- blooms in early spring
- not showy
Fruit
- deep red berries
- 0.33" in diameter
- matures in mid-summer
Bark
- glabrous, slender reddish brown to purplish stems
- flaking
- twiggy habit
Culture
- easy to grow
- easily transplanted
- prefers loamy, well-drained, moist soil
- full sun to partial shade
- prune after flowering
Landscape Use
- barrier
- screen or hedge
- massing or grouping
- for fragrance of flowers
Liabilities
- powdery mildew
- leaf spot
- fall webworms
ID Features
- imbricate, sessile buds, somewhat pubescent
- buds have 4 ranked scales
- lemon-scented flowers
- opposite leaf arrangement
- small red fruit
- no fall color
Propagation
- by cuttings
- by seed
Cultivars/Varieties
- none