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Lonicera maackii

Amur Honeysuckle · Bush Honeysuckle · Maack's Honeysuckle

Family CaprifoliaceaeGenus Lonicera

Paired white and cream flowers with curling petals and long stamens, scattered along arching branches of oval leaves.
FlowerTaken by FanghongCC BY 2.5

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

The plant

Habit
Perennial, Shrub, VineExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Habit
shrub or treePlants of the World Online
Height
10-15 ft3-4.6 mExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Spread
10-15 ft3-4.6 mExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Flower
Gold/Yellow, WhiteExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Blooms
SpringExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Native range
China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Inner Mongolia, Japan, Khabarovsk and elsewhereGBIF Backbone Taxonomy
Hardiness zones
3-8Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox

Growing conditions

Sun
Dappled Sunlight; Deep shade; Full sun; Partial ShadeExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil
Clay, High Organic Matter, Loam (Silt), Sand, Shallow RockyExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil pH
6.0-8.0PLANTS Database
Moisture
Good Drainage, Moist, Occasionally DryExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Watering
Drought tolerance: LowPLANTS Database

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — NC State Extension; Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility; PLANTS Database — USDA NRCS.

Worth knowing

  • Named for the 19th-century Russian naturalist Richard Maack. It is endangered in Japan but invasive in the woodlands of the eastern United States. Wikipedia: Lonicera maackii

This source reports three treatments. All are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around January 25, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Clean the flesh off the seed

  2. Leach in running water

    Duration: 7 days

    Washed and cleaned daily for 7 days.

  3. Cold moist stratification

    Temperature: 40°F 4°C

7 days from start to step 3. Germination happens during step 3, in 63 days.

90% germination in 14–63 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Lonicera p. 173Public domain
Show the original text
Lonicera (Caprifoliaceae). All seeds are in berries and were WC for 7 d. Treatment with GA-3 was tried on L. maacki germ. 40(90-95% in 2-9 w) using either fresh seed or seed DS 6 m at 70 or 40. Germination was more extended when sown at 70 as shown by 70(65%)- 40(35%) for DS seed and 70(3%)-40(31%) for fresh seed.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Lonicera p. 173. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around September 10, 2027 for a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on September 9, 2026.

  1. Clean the flesh off the seed

  2. Leach in running water

    Duration: 7 days

    Washed and cleaned daily for 7 days.

  3. Dry storage

    Duration: 180 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  4. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  5. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

    35 germinated in this phase.

Steps after step 4 run on after germination.

about 6 months from start to step 4. Germination happens during step 4; time not stated, 21 days assumed.

65% germination.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Lonicera p. 173Public domain
Show the original text
Lonicera (Caprifoliaceae). All seeds are in berries and were WC for 7 d. Treatment with GA-3 was tried on L. maacki germ. 40(90-95% in 2-9 w) using either fresh seed or seed DS 6 m at 70 or 40. Germination was more extended when sown at 70 as shown by 70(65%)- 40(35%) for DS seed and 70(3%)-40(31%) for fresh seed.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Lonicera p. 173. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 3

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around December 8, 2026 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Clean the flesh off the seed

  2. Leach in running water

    Duration: 7 days

    Washed and cleaned daily for 7 days.

  3. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

    3 germinated in this phase.

  4. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

about 3 months from start to step 4. Germination happens during step 4; time not stated, 21 days assumed.

31% germination.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Lonicera p. 173Public domain
Show the original text
Lonicera (Caprifoliaceae). All seeds are in berries and were WC for 7 d. Treatment with GA-3 was tried on L. maacki germ. 40(90-95% in 2-9 w) using either fresh seed or seed DS 6 m at 70 or 40. Germination was more extended when sown at 70 as shown by 70(65%)- 40(35%) for DS seed and 70(3%)-40(31%) for fresh seed.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Lonicera p. 173. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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