Leaf
Jean-Claude Echardour, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Box honeysuckle
Lonicera nitida E.H.Wilson
Also known as: Boxleaf honeysuckle, Wilson's honeysuckle
Family: Caprifoliaceae
1 to 2 m tall, often kept lower by clipping
Planted in clipped hedges and topiary, ordinary soils
Flowering: April – May, inconspicuous
Full sun
Part shade
Very hardy, to about -20°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Box honeysuckle is widely used as a substitute for box in clipped hedges and topiary, its tiny, dense foliage standing frequent, severe clipping very well, unlike most climbing honeysuckles.
🍃 Leaves
Evergreen, very small, ovate, glossy, densely arranged
🌸 Flowers
Tiny, cream-white, barely visible, faintly fragrant
🍎 Fruits
Small purplish red to black fruits, not abundant on regularly clipped shrubs.
🪵 Bark
Brown, fine and numerous twigs
🗺️ Distribution
Native to China; widely planted in France as a clipped hedge shrub
🐝 Value for pollinators
Small, faintly nectar-bearing flowers, little visited because frequent clipping limits flowering
✂️ Horticultural uses
Low hedge and topiary shrub, its dense, fine foliage making it a common substitute for box in clipped forms
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Berries slightly toxic if eaten
🌿 Other Caprifoliaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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