Lonicera fragrantissima (winter honeysuckle)

Lonicera fragrantissima Lindl. & Paxton

Xylosteon fragrantissimum (Lindl. & Paxton) Small

Winter honeysuckle, sweet breath of spring, january jasmine, fragrant honeysuckle

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Dipsacales	Includes viburnum, honeysuckle, snowberry, beautybush, twinflower, many others
Family	Caprifoliaceae	Honeysuckle family
Genus	Lonicera	Either Latin for honeysuckle, though this is not a “true” honeysuckle; or named for Adam Lonitzer (1528-1586), a German herbalist, physician and botanist who wrote a standard herbal text that was reprinted many times between 1557 and 1783
Species	fragrantissima	Means “smells good”

About plant names...

Winter honeysuckle is native to China, but it has escaped from landscaping in North America, becoming established (sometimes very invasive) in the eastern United States.

Identification: Shrubs are 3-9½' (1-3 m) around. Leaves are opposite, roughly oval, with smooth edges. Blooms are a creamy white color, in pairs, appearing in March-April, and very fragrant, with a lemony smell. Fruits are orange to red berries up to ⅜" (1 cm) across.

Here is a comparison with some other honeysuckles and Mexican honeysuckle, which is a different genus.

9/7/2010 · Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Boylston, MA
≈ 21 × 31" (52 × 78 cm)

9/7/2010 · Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Boylston, MA
≈ 15 × 10" (39 × 26 cm)

	You are here Lonicera fragrantissima	*Lonicera japonica*	*Lonicera sempervirens*
Common Name	winter honeysuckle	Japanese honeysuckle	trumpet honeysuckle
Plant	Shrubs are 3-9½' (1-3 m) around	A vine up to 16' (5 m) in size. Young stems are reddish- or light-brown, while older stems are hollow, with peeling bark	Trumpet honeysuckle is a twining vine 3-20' (91-609 cm) long, depending upon what it has to climb over. Bark is orange-brown, and peeling.
Flowers	Blooms are a creamy white color, in pairs, appearing in March-April, and very fragrant, with a lemony smell	Flowers are white, showy, fragrant, about 1" (2.5 cm) in size. They fade to a yellow color, so the vine appears to have *white and yellow flowers*	In clusters of 2-4, each red or orange with *yellow interiors, 1-2" (2.5-5 cm) long, trumpet-shaped*. They appear from April to July.
Leaves	Leaves are opposite, roughly oval, with smooth edges	Leaves are opposite, roughly oval-shaped, with smooth edges. Younger leaves may have lobes	Roughly oval in shape, opposite, bluish green, and 1-3" (2.5-7.6 cm) long. Leaves at the base of flowers are fused at the base.
Fruit	Orange to red berries up to ⅜" (1 cm) across	Black, about ⅛" (3.2 mm) around	Berries are orange-red to deep red in color
Range/ Zones	USDA Zones: 4-8		USDA Zones: 4-9
Type	Wild	Wild	Wild
Occurrence

	*Lonicera tatarica*	*Justicia spicigera*
Common Name	Tatarian honeysuckle	Mexican honeysuckle
Plant	Densely branched shrub, up to 10-12' (3-3.7 m) around	3-4' (91-121 cm) high and 4-6' (1.2-1.8 m) around
Flowers	Pairs of flowers, each about ¾" (1.9 cm) around, may be white, pink, or rose. Each flower has *five spatula-shaped*, somewhat unruly-looking petals, and five anthers	Bright orange, *tubular* in shape
Leaves	Leaves are oval in shape, with smooth edges and a bluish cast, 1½-2½" (3.8-6.3 cm) long × 1-1½" (2.5-3.8 cm) wide, in opposite pairs	Roughly oval, soft and velvety, up to 3" (7.6 cm) long
Fruit	Berries are orange to red, about ¼" (6.3 mm) in diameter, often lasting through the winter
Range/ Zones		USDA Zones: 9-10
Type	Wild	Wild
Occurrence	Common to invasive