# Common Honeysuckle (*Lonicera periclymenum*)

Common Honeysuckle is a sweet-smelling plant that grows as a climbing shrub. Its beautiful flowers attract butterflies and bees, making gardens lively and colorful!

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Forests

![Common Honeysuckle](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/European_honeysuckle_800.jpg&width=800)

Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:European_honeysuckle_800.jpg)

## Appearance

The Common Honeysuckle is a deciduous woody climber that twines clockwise, featuring oval green leaves. It has clusters of tubular, creamy-white to yellowish flowers, often flushed with pink or red, which are intensely fragrant. Small, glossy red berries appear in autumn.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Dipsacales
- **Family:** Caprifoliaceae
- **Genus:** Lonicera

## Interesting facts

- Ancient folklore links honeysuckle to devotion and sweet memories, often planted near homes.
- Honeysuckle stems always twist in a clockwise direction as they climb upwards.
- Its strong evening perfume can travel far, guiding nocturnal pollinators to its flowers.
- The unique shape of its flowers makes them a perfect fit for long-tongued insects like hawkmoths.

## Special abilities

- **Twining Dynamo:** Common Honeysuckle can spiral its woody stems clockwise to climb trees and fences, reaching sunlight for growth.
- **Night Scent Siren:** Common Honeysuckle has intensely fragrant flowers that release a powerful perfume at dusk, attracting night-flying moths.
- **Berry Buffet Provider:** Common Honeysuckle has bright red berries in autumn that offer a vital food source for many bird species.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 300-700 cm
- **Spread:** 100-300 cm
- **Flower Size:** 2-5 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Summer (June-September)
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** Mild
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** Hummingbird Hawkmoth (*Macroglossum stellatarum*) — feeds on nectar, aiding plant reproduction.
- **Pollinates:** Buff-tailed Bumblebee (*Bombus terrestris*) — collects nectar and pollen, transferring it between flowers.
- **Eats:** Blackbird (*Turdus merula*) — consumes its berries, helping to disperse seeds.
- **Shelter:** [European Pied Flycatcher](https://www.snappit.app/explore/european-pied-flycatcher) (*Ficedula hypoleuca*) — often nests among its dense foliage.

## Traits

- [Aromatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aromatic): Aromatic plants produce and emit fragrant volatile organic compounds, often for defense or to attract pollinators.
- [Deciduous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/deciduous): Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons.
- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Shrub](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shrub): A shrub is a woody plant smaller than a tree, typically with multiple stems branching from or near the ground.
- [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense.
- [Fruit Bearing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fruit-bearing): Fruit-bearing plants produce fruits, which are the mature ovaries of flowering plants containing seeds.
- [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.
- [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Don't eat any part of the plant without asking an adult first.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Common Honeysuckle?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Common Honeysuckle?

300-700 cm

### How wide does Common Honeysuckle spread?

100-300 cm

### How big are the flowers on Common Honeysuckle?

2-5 cm

### When does Common Honeysuckle bloom?

Summer (June-September)

### Is Common Honeysuckle edible?

No

### Is Common Honeysuckle toxic?

Mild

### What is Common Honeysuckle's lifecycle?

Perennial

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Common Honeysuckle: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-honeysuckle)