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// SPECIES PROFILE · VINE · NATIVE · NON-INVASIVE

Trumpet Honeysuckle

Lonicera sempervirens

The native, well-behaved, semi-evergreen twining honeysuckle of NE Oklahoma's woodland edges — and the most important spring-summer ruby-throated hummingbird vine in the regional flora. Long coral-red trumpet flowers with yellow throats appear in flushes from April through October, perfectly tube-shaped to the hummingbird bill in a textbook case of bird-pollinator coevolution. Critically — and unlike its invasive Asian cousin L. japonica — trumpet honeysuckle does not strangle native trees, does not blanket the forest floor, and is not a regulated invasive plant. This is the honeysuckle to plant; the other one is the honeysuckle to remove.

// QUICK FACTS
Family
Caprifoliaceae (honeysuckle family)
Group
Twining woody vine; semi-evergreen
Native range
SE U.S., west to Texas & Oklahoma
USDA hardiness
Zones 4–9 (Tulsa = 7a/7b)
Mature size
10–20 ft long, twining; 3–6 ft wide
Sun
Full sun preferred; tolerates partial shade with reduced bloom
Soil
Average, well-drained; tolerates clay and sandy loam; pH 5.5–7.5
Water
Moderate; drought-tolerant once established
Bloom
April – October (peak May–June, light flushes through fall)
Flower color
Coral-red to scarlet (yellow throat); 'Sulphurea' is yellow
Habit
Right-twining woody vine — does NOT strangle hosts
Wildlife value
Ruby-throated hummingbird primary nectar; sphinx moths; berries for songbirds
Larval hosts
Spring azure butterfly; honeysuckle clearwing moth (Hemaris)
Ecological role
Hummingbird vine; structural complexity for hedgerows; non-invasive
Trumpet Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) — coral-red tubular flowers with yellow throats
Lonicera sempervirens in flower — the diagnostic clusters of coral-red tubular flowers and the perfoliate (fused-pair) upper leaves that distinguish this native vine from the invasive Japanese honeysuckle. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

Identification

[ field key — flower color · perfoliate leaves · berries · lookalikes ]

Habit & stems

Twining woody vine with smooth, slender, brown to gray-brown stems that grow 10–20 ft long. Vines twine right-handed (clockwise when viewed from above) around supports without rootlets, tendrils, or adhesive disks — needs an actual structure to climb. Old basal stems develop shreddy bark in the manner of grapes. The plant is semi-evergreen in NE Oklahoma — foliage at the base typically persists through mild winters and re-flushes in spring; upper foliage drops or burns brown in cold winters and re-emerges from the lower wood in March.

Leaves — the perfoliate signature

Opposite, simple, oval to elliptic leaves 1.5–3 in long, smooth on top and slightly glaucous (pale blue-green) underneath. The diagnostic feature is the upper 1–2 pairs of leaves below each flower cluster, which are fused at their bases into a single oval disk that the flower stem appears to grow through — the classic "perfoliate" arrangement that gives the genus its sometimes-used name "perfoliate honeysuckle". Lower leaves are not fused.

Flowers & fruit

Terminal whorled clusters of 2–4 long tubular flowers, each 1.5–2 in long, coral-red to scarlet on the outside, yellow on the inside, with five short reflexed lobes at the mouth and protruding stamens and style. Flowers are scentless — another key distinction from the heavily fragrant invasive Japanese honeysuckle. Bloom in flushes from April through October. Fruit is a cluster of bright red translucent berries 6–9 mm across, ripe in September–October, taken by songbirds.

Confusables — the critical one

Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica): white aging to yellow flowers, intensely fragrant, paired flowers from leaf axils, leaves NOT perfoliate (no fused upper pairs), evergreen, black berries, vigorously rampant. It is a major invasive and listed on the Oklahoma Invasive Plant Council list. Trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans): orange tubular flowers but pinnate compound leaves and aerial rootlet attachment to walls. Coral honeysuckle is a synonym for L. sempervirens, not a different plant. 'Dropmore Scarlet' and other named selections may be the closely related hybrid L. × brownii.

Habitat & Range in NE Oklahoma

Lonicera sempervirens is native to the southeastern United States from Maine south to Florida and west to Texas, eastern Oklahoma, and southeastern Kansas. Across NE Oklahoma it occurs naturally in woodland edges, oak savanna openings, fence rows, river-bluff thickets, and the brushy edges of bottomland hardwood forest — particularly along the Verdigris, Caney, Illinois, and Spring River drainages, in the eastern Cross Timbers from Tulsa east to Tahlequah, and in the Ouachita and Ozark uplands.

It prefers the sunny edge between forest and field: enough sun for heavy bloom, enough adjacent woody structure for support, and enough moisture to thrive without irrigation. It is a vine of intermediate vigor — assertive enough to scramble 10–15 ft into a small shrub or up an arbor, but not so vigorous that it kills the host. In wild settings you will often see it weaving through chickasaw plum thickets, draping over fence-row persimmons, or climbing up the lower branches of redcedars in transitional old-field habitat.

Along the Arkansas River corridor through Tulsa, native trumpet honeysuckle occurs in remnant patches but is greatly outnumbered by naturalized Japanese honeysuckle — one of the most common roadside invasive vines in the region. Restoring and planting L. sempervirens is part of the practical answer to the Japanese honeysuckle problem: a native that fills the same niche, supports far more wildlife, and does not displace the rest of the native flora.

Ecology & Wildlife Value

[ hummingbird coevolution · sphinx moths · berries · the invasive comparison ]

Ruby-throated hummingbird coevolution

Trumpet honeysuckle is one of the textbook examples of plant-bird coevolution in eastern North America: the long red tubular flower is exactly matched to the bill length and wing-power of the ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris), the only hummingbird species that breeds in NE Oklahoma. The flowers offer a generous nectar reward at the bottom of the tube, are too long and narrow for most insects, are bright red (a color hummingbirds see well and most bees see poorly), and are scentless (birds have weak smell). Hummers arrive in mid-April, the same week trumpet honeysuckle begins blooming.

Hawk & clearwing moths

Beyond hummingbirds, the deep tubular flowers are visited at dusk by several hawkmoth species with proboscises long enough to reach the nectar — including the white-lined sphinx (Hyles lineata) and the snowberry clearwing (Hemaris diffinis), both common in the Tulsa region. Daytime visits by the smaller hummingbird clearwing (Hemaris thysbe) are also frequent. These moths are the secondary pollinators when hummingbirds are absent.

Berries & songbirds

Bright red translucent berries ripen September–October and are relished by American robin, gray catbird, brown thrasher, hermit thrush, cedar waxwing, ruby-crowned kinglet, eastern bluebird, and purple finch. The seeds pass through the gut intact and sprout readily wherever a bird perches and defecates — the species' primary dispersal mechanism. Berries are mildly toxic to humans (saponins) and should not be eaten.

Lepidoptera larval hosts

Trumpet honeysuckle is the larval host of the spring azure butterfly (Celastrina ladon) on flower buds and the snowberry clearwing (Hemaris diffinis) and hummingbird clearwing (Hemaris thysbe) sphinx moth caterpillars on leaves. The genus Lonicera as a whole hosts around 33 documented Lepidoptera species in North America.

Japanese honeysuckle is not a substitute — it is the problem. Lonicera japonica, the white-and-yellow fragrant Asian honeysuckle that blankets so many NE Oklahoma roadsides, is a regulated invasive in many states and is a major threat to native woodland understory. It outcompetes native vines and shrubs, smothers tree seedlings, breaks branches off mature trees with sheer mass, and supports far fewer native insects and birds than our native L. sempervirens. If you are buying a "honeysuckle vine" for ornamental use in NE Oklahoma, only the native species is appropriate. For removal of established Japanese honeysuckle: cut-stump treatment with triclopyr in late fall when natives are dormant is the most effective approach.
The native bush honeysuckles in NE Oklahoma: the bush species L. maackii (Amur), L. tatarica (Tatarian), and L. morrowii (Morrow's) are all invasive Eurasian shrubs. Lonicera sempervirens is the only widely native and ornamentally recommended Lonicera species in the regional landscape trade. The native but uncommon L. dioica (limber honeysuckle) and L. flava (yellow honeysuckle) are valuable but less commercially available.

Horticulture & Care

[ siting · structure · pruning · cultivars ]

When to plant intentionally

Choose trumpet honeysuckle for: ruby-throated hummingbird gardens (the single most important reason in NE Oklahoma), arbor and trellis plantings on sunny structures, fence-line and gate plantings, the sunny outer edge of a mixed hedgerow, replacement plantings where Japanese honeysuckle has been removed, and screening on chain-link or wire fences. Avoid only deep-shade or chronically wet sites.

Planting & establishment

Pruning

Trumpet honeysuckle blooms on new wood, so the rule is "prune after the heaviest May–June flush, then leave alone" for the rest of the season. Light shaping cuts in summer encourage the next bloom flush; major renovation pruning is best done in late winter (February) before spring growth begins. Old neglected vines can be cut to within 1–2 ft of the ground in late winter and will regrow vigorously. Train young vines onto the support structure during the first season — once woody stems set, they hold their position permanently.

Pests & diseases

Recommended cultivars for NE Oklahoma

Cultivar Origin Distinguishing feature Notes for Tulsa
Wild type L. sempervirens Coral-red flowers with yellow throat The classic form; full hummingbird value; locally collected stock preferred for woodland-edge restorations.
'Major Wheeler' Selected by Charles Wheeler, NC Saturated red flowers, mildew-resistant foliage, very long bloom period The first-choice cultivar for Tulsa-area gardens; excellent vigor, reliable spring through fall bloom, and disease resistance.
'Alabama Crimson' Southern selection Deep crimson flowers, vigorous vine Good performer for southern climates; reliable bloom.
'John Clayton' Found growing in Virginia colonial cemetery Pure yellow flowers, otherwise typical Striking yellow form; pairs well with red-flowered selections in mixed plantings.
'Sulphurea' Older yellow selection Pale yellow flowers Less common than 'John Clayton'; similar yellow effect.
'Magnifica' Trade selection Larger flowers, deeper coral color Strong bloom but less mildew resistance than 'Major Wheeler'.
'Dropmore Scarlet' (L. × brownii) Manitoba hybrid Brilliant orange-scarlet flowers; cold-hardy Hybrid with L. hirsuta; vigorous and hardy. Marketed as a honeysuckle vine; check label.

Cultural & Material Uses

Trumpet honeysuckle has a relatively brief documented ethnobotanical record but a long horticultural one — the species was among the earliest North American ornamental plants exported to Europe and is figured in 17th- and 18th-century English gardening books.

Sources & Further Reading

  • USDA NRCS PLANTS Database — Lonicera sempervirens: plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/LOSE
  • Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center — Lonicera sempervirens: wildflower.org — LOSE
  • Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder — Lonicera sempervirens cultivar profiles and growing requirements (notably 'Major Wheeler' trial data).
  • USDA Forest Service Plant of the Week — Lonicera sempervirens: hummingbird ecology and cultivation.
  • Mt. Cuba Center — Lonicera cultivar trial reports comparing 'Major Wheeler', 'John Clayton', 'Alabama Crimson', and others for southeastern garden use.
  • Tallamy, D.W. & Shropshire, K.J. (2009), "Ranking lepidopteran use of native versus introduced plants", Conservation Biology 23(4): 941–947 — documents Lepidoptera using Lonicera.
  • Oklahoma Invasive Plant Council — Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) listing and management guidance.
  • USDA NRCS Plant Guide — Trumpet Honeysuckle: hummingbird value and revegetation use.
  • Native Plant Trust (formerly New England Wild Flower Society) — Lonicera sempervirens identification key and propagation notes.
  • Robertson, C. (1928), Flowers and Insects: Lists of Visitors to Four Hundred and Fifty-three Flowers — classic field record of Lonicera pollinator visits.
  • Wikipedia — Lonicera sempervirens: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonicera_sempervirens (CC BY-SA 4.0; portions of the description and ecology sections summarize Wikipedia content).

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Companion Planting

[ guild · polyculture · cross-layer pairings ]

In a hedgerow or thicket, trumpet honeysuckle pairs naturally with: downy hawthorn (Crataegus mollis), american beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium), cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus), maypop / passionflower (Passiflora incarnata), and eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana).

Train trumpet honeysuckle onto a sturdy host such as a hedgerow shrub or arbor; combine with low groundcovers below.