In message , Jeff Layman
writes
On 29/01/2011 08:00, Stewart Robert Hinsley wrote:
In message , Jeff Layman
writes
On 28/01/2011 19:58, Stewart Robert Hinsley wrote:
I came across an escape evergreen climber this afternoon.

Plant growing to 3 m or more, foliage alternate, shortly petiolate,
blades ovate-lanceolate (broadest near the base, 5-7 cm long, 1.5-2 cm
wide), shallowly cordate, acuminate.

I think that it may be a Lonicera. Does it ring any bells with anyone.

According to the RHS Dictionary of Gardening, Lonicera leaves are
opposite, not alternate.

Sorry. Thinko on my part. I meant to write "opposite".

Heh - a "Thinko" - I like it! Assuming everything else in your OP is
accurate, I had a look through all the Lonicera entries in the RHSDoG.

There are more than a dozen entries for scandent species which are said
to be evergreen or semi-evergreen (I have assume that where not stated,
the plant is deciduous, which is the usual practice in the DoG).
Eliminating any plants of Zone 8 and worse hardiness, the most likely
candidates would be henryi and japonica. I have excluded sempervirens
as the leaves are much rounder than you describe. I would tend to go
for henryi. There are a few other much rarer species which might fit
the bill, but unless there is a botanic garden or lonicera enthusiast
nearby, I can't see it being one of those.

Of course, the above excludes hybrids and cultivars. Best of luck if
you want to include those too...

Lonicera henryi seems quite plausible. (That would make it 7 species of
Lonicera I've found "in the wild"). Now I have to remember to take a
look in June or July, to be sure that it's not something completely
different.

Thanks.

[If Lonicera japonica is the plant I think it is - with flowers which
are dead ringers for Lonicera periclymenum, but axillary rather than
terminal - it's leaves are too broad, not to mention the tendency for a
degree of lobing - I omitted "unlobed, margin entire" from the
description. I didn't get close enough to tell whether the leaves were
ciliate, as per Hillier.]
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley