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Coral Honeysuckle

Lonicera sempervirens

A climbing native honeysuckle with red-orange trumpets visited by hummingbirds. In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in dry forests and woodlands, maritime forests. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

71
Strong

Native to Louisiana (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
10–20 feet with support
Spread
3–6 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist

Space about 4.5 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 5 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial twining vine
Leaves
Deciduous or evergreen
Bloom
March to July
Fruiting season
July to September

Recorded in 39 Louisiana parishes.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Dry forests and woodlands

Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

Maritime forests and thickets

Salt-pruned forests and shrub thickets behind coastal dunes.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Louisiana. Shared habitat, not food. 90 animals.

All wildlife of Louisiana

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

26CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA

Genus host records with ranges including LA · Lonicera

  • Hemaris diffinisSnowberry Clearwing
  • Hemaris thysbeHummingbird Clearwing
  • Acronicta oblinitaSmeared Dagger
  • Aethalura intertextaFour-Barred Gray
  • Amorbia humerosanaWhite-Lined Leafroller Moth
  • Argyrotaenia velutinanaRed-Banded Leafroller Moth, Jack Pine Tube Moth
  • Callizzia amorataGray Scoopwing
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Ectropis crepusculariaThe Small Engrailed, Saddleback Looper
  • Egira alternansAlternate Woodling
Show all 26
  • Euphydryas phaetonThe Baltimore, The Black Checker
  • Harrisimemna trisignataHarris's Three-Spot
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
  • Herpetogramma thestealisZigzag Herpetogramma, Subtle-Feathered Grass Moth
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
  • Hypercompe scriboniaGiant Leopard Moth, Great Leopard Moth
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Leucania pilipalpisZippered Wainscot
  • Megalopyge opercularisSouthern Flannel Moth, Puss Caterpillar
  • Oiketicus abbotiiAbbot's Bagworm Moth
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Orthosia hibisciSpeckled Green Fruitworm Moth, Speckled Green Quaker
  • Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Uresiphita reversalisGenista Caterpillar, Genista Cbroom Moth
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
16BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Lonicera

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
10BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Lonicera

  • Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
  • Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
  • Catharus ustulatusSwainson's Thrush
  • Ixoreus naeviusVaried Thrush
  • Mimus polyglottosNorthern Mockingbird
  • Myadestes townsendiTownsend's Solitaire
  • Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
  • Pipilo maculatusSpotted Towhee
  • Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
  • Vireo olivaceusRed-eyed Vireo
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Ruby-throated hummingbird — Drinks flower nectar

Songbirds — Eat the red berries

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Caprifoliaceae
Hardiness
Zones 4a–9b
Soil pH
Acidic to neutral
Flower color
Yellow, orange or red
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Several stems
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
July
Fruit ends
September

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Provide a trellis or fence. Prune after flowering and avoid excessive nitrogen fertilizer. NC State Extension

Growing sources and scope

Recognizing it

Opposite upper leaves join around the stem below clusters of narrow, non-fragrant flowers. Identification source

Also known as

Trumpet Honeysuckle

Conservation status

Louisiana rankSNR
Global rankG5
LA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources