Lonicera L.

Honeysuckle

Honeysuckles that aren’t—other species that resemble honey­suckles

	Justicia spicigera	Rhododendron viscosum
Common Name	Mexican honeysuckle	swamp azalea
Plant	Mexican honeysuckle is an evergreen shrub 3–4′ (91–121 cm) high and 4–6′ (1.2–1.8 m) around.	Woody, evergreen or deciduous shrubs are 3–5′ (91–152 cm) around, rarely reaching 8′ (2.4 m) and (by some accounts) up to 12′ (3.7 m) in width. They have a somewhat gangly habit.
Leaves	Roughly oval, soft and velvety, 2–3″ (5–7.6 cm) long.	Alternate, lustrous, dark green, narrow, obovate to oblong-obovate, with blunt or short-pointed tips. In the fall, leaves turn orange or maroon.
Flowers	Bright orange, tubular in shape, and attractive to hummingbirds.	White to pale pink, 1¼–1¾″ (3.2–4.4 cm) long, in clusters of 4-9. Each flower consists of a long, narrow, very sticky tube, flared at the end into a corolla of five fused petal-like lobes. Five stamens extend beyond the flower, with dramatic flair. Flowers have a sweet, musky, clove-like aroma—said to be the most aromatic of all azaleas. Blooms from May to July.
Fruit	An oblong capsule with acute apex, ½–¾″ (1.5–2 cm) long, initially green, then black when ripe.	Capsules are ¼–¾ ⨉ ⅛–¼″ (7–20 ⨉ 3–7 mm), in dark brown clusters.
Range/ Zones	USDA Zones: 9-11	USDA Zones: 4-9
Habitats	Deciduous and evergreen tropical and subtropical forests and thickets, both moist and dray.	Swampy lowland habitats with a uniform level of soil moisture.

Lonicera description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.

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