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Forsythia or Japanese kerria? How to tell them apart
Forsythia · Kerria japonica
How to tell them apart – forsythia: flowers earlier (March) on bare branches and has opposite leaves; Japanese kerria: shrub with green, cane-like twigs and yellow, often double flowers in April.
How do you recognise them?
- Forsythia
- Shrub that turns completely yellow in March with bell-shaped flowers, before the leaves appear.
- Compared with Japanese kerria: flowers earlier (March) on bare branches and has opposite leaves.
- Japanese kerria
- Shrub with green, cane-like twigs and yellow, often double flowers in April.
| Forsythia | Japanese kerria | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Opposite, lance-shaped, 5–10 cm, toothed; sometimes trifoliate. | Alternate, 4–8 cm, oval with a long pointed tip, sharply double-toothed, with deeply impressed veins. |
| Flowering | Bright yellow, bell-shaped flowers along the bare branches, March–April (March–April). | Golden-yellow flowers in April–May; in ‘Pleniflora’ fully double, like little pompoms (April–May). |
| Fruit | Small capsules (rarely). | Rarely: small, brownish-black nutlets. |
| Bark | Yellowish-brown with lenticels; twigs hollow or chambered. | Bright green, thin, striped twigs, green even in winter. |
| Shape and height | Shrub, 2–3 m | Shrub, 1.5–2 m |
| Site | Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, normal | Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, normal |
| Native to Belgium | No, planted | No, planted |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | Little | Yes, for bees |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | April–May | May–June |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Choose what suits your soil, your light and the space you have: see the growing conditions in the table.
Read on
- Plant profile: Forsythia
- Plant profile: Japanese kerria
- Forsythia: when and how to prune
- Japanese kerria: when and how to prune
- Identification key: the question that separates them
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Identify by feature
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.