Santa Barbara Honeysuckle, Lonicera subspicata var. denudata

About Santa Barbara Honeysuckle (Lonicera subspicata var. denudata) 6 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Santa Barbara Honeysuckle (Lonicera subspicata var. denudata) is a vining shrub in the Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle) family. It is the most commonly occurring variety of the species. Despite the common name, it grows across much of southern and central California, primarily in the coastal counties but with scattered inland locations. It tends to grow on slopes, at elevations from sea level to 5,900 feet. It is known from several types of mountain and coastal habitats, particularly chaparral. It is a vining shrub which usually climbs on other plants for support. It may exceed two meters in length. It is lined with oval leaves up to 4 centimeters long. The flower cluster is a long, fuzzy spike of light yellow flowers each about a centimeter long. The flower has an upper and lower lip with hairy stamens and style protruding. The fruit is a round red or yellow berry just under a centimeter wide. The other recognized variety, var. subspicata is rare and included on CNPS list 1B.2. There are subtle differences between the two varieties, and they have overlapping ranges (see separate listings).

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

8 ft tall
20 ft wide

Form

Spreading

Growth Rate

Fast, Moderate

Dormancy

Evergreen

Fragrance

Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color

Cream, White, Yellow

Flowering Season

Spring, Summer

Wildlife Supported

Many insects are attracted to the flowers, including butterflies. Birds are attracted to the berries.
Hummingbird gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 21 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Variable Checkerspot Euphydryas chalcedonaEuphydryas chalcedona

White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata

Genista Caterpillar Uresiphita reversalisUresiphita reversalis

Corn Earworm Moth Helicoverpa zeaHelicoverpa zea

Ashy Pleromelloida Moth Pleromelloida cinereaPleromelloida cinerea

Canary Ypsolopha Moth Ypsolopha canariellaYpsolopha canariella

Hitched Arches Melanchra adjunctaMelanchra adjuncta

Landscaping Information

Sun

Part Shade, Full Sun

Summer Irrigation

Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 6

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 10° F

Soil Drainage

Medium, Slow

Soil Description

Tolerant of a variety of soils including clay and decomposed granite.. Soil PH: 5.0 - 7.6

Common uses

Hedges, Hummingbird Gardens, Bird Gardens

Companion Plants

Many companion plants including Manzanita (Arctostaphylos sp.), Ceanothus sp., coyote bush (Baccharis pilularis), San Diego Viguiera (Bahiopsis laciniata), Barberry (Berberis sp.), Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus betuloides or minutiflorus), Bushrue (Cneoridium dumosum), Summer Holly (Comarostaphylis diversifolia), Tree Poppy (Dendromecon rigida), California Brittlebush (Encelia californica), Goldenbush (Ericameria sp.), Yerba Santa (Eridoctyon sp.), Buckwheat (Eriogonum sp.), Flannelbush (Fremontodendron sp.), Silk Tassel Bush (Garrya sp.), toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), Pitcher Sage (Lepechinia sp.), Bush Mallow (Malacothamnus sp.), Sticky Monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus), Hollyleaf Cherry (Prunus ilicifolia), Oaks (Quercus sp.), Lemonade Berry (Rhus integrifolia), wild Currant (Ribes sp.), Sage (Salvia sp.), Woolly Bluecurls (Trichotema lanatum), and Mission Manzanita (Xylococcus bicolor).

Maintenance

Do not prune new, young growth because that is where the flowers and fruit are borne. Remove older growth to shape and to stimulate growth of new stems.

Propagation?

Seeds or cuttings

Sunset Zones?

7*, 8, 9, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting

Site Type

Coastal plains, foothills and the west slope of the mountains from the Bay Area southward, typically in the partial shade of oaks or chaparral species

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 8.3" - 62.9", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 2.83", Coldest Month: 37.8" - 56.5", Hottest Month: 60.3" - 81.1", Humidity: 0.71" - 29.91", Elevation: 16" - 8079"

Alternative Names

Common Names: Johnston's Honeysuckle, Southern Honeysuckle

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Santa Barbara Honeysuckle

Lonicera subspicata var. denudata

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Santa Barbara HoneysuckleLonicera subspicata var. denudata

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Santa Barbara Honeysuckle

Lonicera subspicata var. denudata