Lonicera hispidula
Pink honeysuckle
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Family: Caprifoliaceae · Type: Vine · Native
Lonicera hispidula (Pink honeysuckle) is a native California vine in the Caprifoliaceae family, recognized by key features: pink flowers, glandular inflorescence, climbing habit.
Pink honeysuckle is a California native shrub found in northwestern, Sierra Nevada, central western, and southwestern California in canyons, streamsides, and woodland at elevations below 1,100 meters. Flowering from May to June, this plant produces pink flowers with a strongly two-lipped corolla 12 to 16 millimeters long, glandular-hairy with a shallowly four-lobed upper lip. Growing 1.8 to 6 meters tall, it develops a sprawling to twining habit with puberulent herbage and distinctive growth pattern. Its leaves are 4 to 8 centimeters long, with oblong to ovate blades that have a truncate or slightly heart-shaped base, with upper leaf pairs fused around the stem and accompanied by green or scale-like stipules. The fruit is approximately 8 millimeters long and turns bright red when mature.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 12 sympatric species; key features: pink flowers, glandular inflorescence, climbing habit
Habitat and range
Habitat: Canyons, streamsides, woodland
Elevation: < 1100 m
California counties: Humboldt, Santa Cruz, Los Angeles, Lake, Butte, Santa Clara, San Luis Obispo, El Dorado, Marin, Amador, Contra Costa, Kern, Mariposa, Plumas, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Tulare, Alameda, Del Norte, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Yuba, Santa Barbara, Siskiyou, Sonoma, Trinity, Solano, Tehama, Sutter, Calaveras, Placer, San Bernardino
Outside California: southern Oregon
Bloom period
Lonicera hispidula blooms May-Jun.
How to tell it apart
vs Symphoricarpos: Lonicera flowers are tubular and swollen on one side; Symphoricarpos has symmetrical bell-shaped flowers and white berries.; vs Rhamnus: Lonicera has showy tubular two-lipped flowers; Rhamnus has tiny inconspicuous greenish flowers with 4-5 separate petals.; vs Ceanothus: Lonicera has large tubular flowers; Ceanothus has tiny flowers in dense showy clusters.; vs Quercus: Lonicera has tubular flowers and berries; Quercus has catkins and produces acorns.; vs Vaccinium: Lonicera flowers are tubular and two-lipped; Vaccinium has symmetrical urn-shaped flowers.
Frequently asked questions
Is Lonicera hispidula native to California?
Yes. Lonicera hispidula is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Lonicera hispidula bloom?
Lonicera hispidula blooms May-Jun.
Where in California does Lonicera hispidula grow?
Lonicera hispidula occurs in Humboldt, Santa Cruz, Los Angeles, Lake, Butte, Santa Clara, San Luis Obispo, El Dorado and other counties, at elevations of < 1100 m.
What plant family does Lonicera hispidula belong to?
Lonicera hispidula is in the Caprifoliaceae family, genus Lonicera.
What habitat does Lonicera hispidula grow in?
Lonicera hispidula grows in Canyons, streamsides, woodland.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.