- By Times’ Junior Journalist Alina Jiang
What are weeds? Some people say that weeds are just a plant in the wrong place.
However, there are many different types of weeds, each posing a problem where they grow.
In my opinion, one of the worst ones is Japanese honeysuckle.
There are two different types of honeysuckle: the native New Zealand honeysuckle, called Rewarewa – a beautiful shrubby tree that doesn’t harm the environment; and then there’s the Japanese honeysuckle – a weed which kills plants and is poisonous to us and our furry friends.
The Japanese honeysuckle is a weed that is a climber, which basically means it can easily out-compete other plants and trees for food and light and change forest structure.
This weed can harbour mice and rats and other weeds.
Its stems are strong and flexible, with a brown smooth feel, and dark green lanceolate (shaped like a lance, which is similar to a sword’s shape) leaves with white and yellow flowers and soft black berries.
You can usually find these plants in disturbed sites, riparian and forest margins, scrubland, canopy gaps, and bare ground.
The Japanese honeysuckle’s seeds are olive shaped but with no holes and a black surface.
One side of these seeds is jagged while the other is flat.
If you find a seed, make sure to put them in a small plastic bag (or a weed bag if you have one) so they won’t begin to grow wherever you throw them.
These seeds are dispersed by birds and the fruit can grow from cuttings of dumped garden waste on roadsides.
Even though you may want to grow this weed you shouldn’t as it may result in it smothering all your native plants and trees.
If you spot them popping up over your land, make sure to remove them by cutting them, spraying with foliar and putting the foliage into a plastic bag and leave in the sun for a few weeks, which will kill the plant.
During the spring, bees enjoy honeysuckle flowers for nectar, which is one good thing they provide.
Though the flowers are pretty, once they stay there for some time, they become harder to remove and control due to its multi-stemmed growth form and woody stems.
The Japanese honeysuckle is a pretty sight but is, unfortunately, a weed.
If you have trouble removing this plant – no worries!
Just get an adult or professional to help you!
Together we can preserve more native plants and get rid of more weeds!
- Alina Jiang is in Year 6 at Owairoa Primary School
