Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Campanulids: Dipsacales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Lonicera fragrantissima
FAMILY
Caprifoliaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Read more about Sweet-breath-of-spring at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Lonicera fragrantissima
FAMILY
Caprifoliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 174-02-003:
Lonicera fragrantissima FAMILY Caprifoliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Xylosteon fragrantissimum
COMMON NAME:
Sweet-breath-of-spring, Winter Honeysuckle
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
JK Marlow jkm160130_092
January Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm160130_095
January Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm160130_097
January Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm160130_098
January Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm160130_100
January Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm160130_104
January Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Stigma capitate [head-like], per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm160130_106
January Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Leaves elliptic to broad-ovate, 1-3" long, 2/3x to almost as wide, per Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (Dirr, 1975+).
)
Roxanna Martin rlm12812_103
January Spartanburg County SC
Five stamens, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
Roxanna Martin rlm12812_106
January Spartanburg County SC
Flowers paired, subtended by 2 linear bracts; calyx lobes essentially obsolete, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_l_fragrantissima
February
Flowers are paired and their ovaries are united half their length, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow s050227_u
February Richland County SC
Roadside
)
JK Marlow jkm110316_013
March Greenville County SC
Wide-spreading shrub with a tangled mass of slender recurving branches, per Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (Dirr, 1975+).
)
JK Marlow jkm110316_019
March Greenville County SC
Bark often flaking, per A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010).
)
JK Marlow jkm110316_020c
March Greenville County SC
Flowers relatively small, 2-lipped, creamy white tinged pink or red, per Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (Dirr, 1975+).
)
JK Marlow jkm151230_073
December Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Holds foliage very late into fall and, in southern states, into winter, per Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (Dirr, 1975+).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Lonicera fragrantissima
FAMILY
Caprifoliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Lonicera fragrantissima
FAMILY
Caprifoliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 174-02-003:
Lonicera fragrantissima
FAMILY
Caprifoliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Xylosteon fragrantissimum
863
Shrub
Perennial
Habitat: forests, woodlands, roadbanks, old house sites, spreading (sometimes aggressively) from horticultural use, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: China
Uncommon in Piedmont & Carolina Mountains (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
This plant is causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:
- Alabama Invasive Plant Council, 2012
- Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2006
- Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2013
- SC Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2014
- SC Native Plant Society
- Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2009
- US Forest Service Southern Research Station
- Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, 2014
LEAVES:
Tardily deciduous
Simple
Opposite
FLOWER:
Winter/Spring
White/Yellowish
5-lobed calyx
2-lipped 5-lobed corolla (four-lobed upper lip, one-lobed lower lip)
5 stamens
Inferior ovary
Flowers in peduncled pairs in leaf axils
FRUIT:
Spring
Orange/Red
Berry
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Invasive Plants, Guide to Identification, Impacts and Control (Kaufman & Kaufman, 2007) p171
- A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010) p032
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p199
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".