What Are the Varieties of Poisonous Honeysuckle?

Hall's Honeysuckle

• This twining climber will grow over fences, trellises, arbors and other support structures. It is excellent if you want a screening plant but not so good as an ornamental vine if you have other plants around -- it will crawl right over nearby plants and smother them. The flowers open white but turn golden yellow as they mature. This variety reaches a maximum height of around 30 feet and will grow to about 2 feet tall if used as a groundcover. The flowers have a strong, pleasant fragrance, which makes this variety desirable to many home gardeners.

Halliana Prolific

• This variety is very similar in appearance to Hall's Honeysuckle, but with a few exceptions. It grows even more rapidly, according to the University of Connecticut's Extension website, and produces more flowers. The height is a little less, however -- Halliana Prolific grows to a maximum height of about 20 feet.

Aureoreticulata

• Aureoreticulata is desirable for its variegated leaves, which are mottled with thin yellow lines. If the plant grows in full sun, the patterns are more pronounced. This variety is less vigorous than others, and the yellow patterns on the leaves sometimes make the plant look sickly.

Tricolor

• This variety also has variegated leaves, but as the name implies, the foliage has three colors. The patterns swirl in shades of pink, creamy white and light green. Like most other varieties of L. japonica, the flowers are initially white, maturing to yellow.

Purpurea

• Purpurea is the only variety of Japanese honeysuckle that has flowers that are not golden yellow. The leaves are very deep green with a purple tint, and the flowers feature outer petals that are reddish-orange in color. For these reasons, the plant is a favorite with home gardeners.