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.
)
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.
)
Roxanna Martin rlm12812_103
January Spartanburg County SC
Five stamens, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas.
)
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.
)
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.
)
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.
)
JK Marlow jkm110316_019
March Greenville County SC
Bark often flaking, per A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests.
)
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.
)
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.
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
Non-native: China
Uncommon in Piedmont & Carolina Mountains (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
Habitat: forests, woodlands, roadbanks, old house sites, spreading (sometimes aggressively) from horticultural use, per Weakley's Flora
Click here to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
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 p171
- A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests p032
- Nonnative Invasive Plants of Southern Forests p24
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide p199