Honeysuckle
Honeysuckles are arching shrubs or twining vines in the genus Lonicera of the family Caprifoliaceae. The genus includes 158 species native to northern latitudes in North America, Eurasia, and North Africa. Widely known species include Lonicera periclymenum, Lonicera japonica and Lonicera sempervirens. L. japonica is a highly invasive species considered a significant pest in parts of North America, Europe, South America, New Zealand, Australia, and Africa.
Some species are highly fragrant and colorful, so are cultivated as ornamental garden plants. In North America, hummingbirds are attracted to the flowers, especially L. sempervirens and L. ciliosa. Honeysuckle derives its name from the edible sweet nectar obtainable from its tubular flowers. The name Lonicera stems from Adam Lonicer, a Renaissance botanist.
Description
Most species of Lonicera are hardy twining climbers, with a minority of shrubby habit. Some species are tender and can be grown outside only in subtropical zones. The leaves are opposite, simple oval, long; most are deciduous but some are evergreen.Many of the species have sweetly scented, bilaterally symmetrical flowers that produce a sweet, edible nectar, and most flowers are borne in clusters of two. Both shrubby and vining sorts have strongly fibrous stems which have been used for binding and textiles.
The fruit is a red, blue or black spherical or elongated berry containing several seeds; in most species the berries are mildly poisonous, but in a few they are edible and grown for home use and commerce. Most honeysuckle berries are attractive to wildlife, which has led to species such as L. japonica and L. maackii spreading invasively outside of their home ranges. Many species of Lonicera are eaten by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species—see a list of Lepidoptera that feed on honeysuckles.
Invasive species
The spread of L. japonica in North America began in the United States in 1806, and it was widely cultivated by the 1860s. It was first discovered in Canada in Ontario forests in 1976, and became invasive by 2007. L. japonica was introduced in Australia between 1820 and 1840.Several species of honeysuckle have become invasive when introduced outside their native range, particularly in North America, Europe, South America, Australia, and Africa. Invasive species include L. japonica, L. maackii, L. morrowii, L. tatarica, and the hybrid between the last two, L. × bella.
Cultivation
Honeysuckles are valued as garden plants, for their ability to cover unsightly walls and outbuildings, their profuse tubular flowers in early summer, and the intense fragrance of many varieties. The hardy climbing types need their roots in shade, and their flowering tops in sunlight or very light shade. Varieties need to be chosen with care, as they can become substantial. Cultivars of the dense, small-leaved L. nitida are used as low, narrow hedges.The following hybrids have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:
- L. × heckrottii 'Gold Flame'
- L. 'Mandarin'
- L. × purpusii 'Winter Beauty'
- L. × tellmanniana
The honeysuckle species L. japonica is grown as a commercial crop for traditional Chinese medicine use.
Honeysuckle is also used to scent Chinese teas in a process similar to Jasmine tea. This was popularized in the Qing dynasty.
Phytochemicals
Component analyses of berries from 27 different cultivars and 3 genotypes of edible honeysuckle showed the presence of iridoids, anthocyanins, flavonols, flavanonols, flavones, flavan-3-ols, and phenolic acids. While sugars determine the level of sweetness in the berries, organic acids and polyphenols are responsible for the sour taste and tartness. Some 51 of the same compounds in berries are found in flowers, although the proportions of these compounds varied among cultivars studied.Interaction with other species
Many insects in the order Lepidoptera visit honeysuckles as a food source. An example of this is the moth Deilephila elpenor. This nocturnal species of moth is especially attracted to honeysuckles, and they visit the flowers at night to feed on their nectar.Species
158 species are accepted.Lonicera acuminata or Lonicera pampaninii – fragrant grove honeysuckle or vine honeysuckleLonicera affinis Lonicera alberti Lonicera albiflora – white honeysuckleLonicera alpigena – alpine honeysuckleLonicera altmannii- Lonicera × americana Lonicera angustifolia Lonicera annamensis Lonicera arborea Lonicera arizonica – Arizona honeysuckleLonicera asperifolia
- Lonicera × bella – Bell's honeysuckle or showy fly honeysuckleLonicera biflora Lonicera bournei Lonicera bracteolaris Lonicera buschiorum Lonicera caerulea – blue-berried honeysuckleLonicera calcarata Lonicera cambodiana Lonicera canadensis – Canada fly honeysuckle, American fly honeysuckleLonicera caprifolium – goat-leaf honeysuckle, perfoliate honeysuckleLonicera caucasica Lonicera cerasina Lonicera cerviculata Lonicera chamissoi Lonicera chrysantha – Chrysantha honeysuckleLonicera ciliosa – orange honeysuckleLonicera confusa Lonicera conjugialis – purpleflower honeysuckleLonicera crassifolia Lonicera cyanocarpa Lonicera deleiensis Lonicera demissa Lonicera dioica – limber honeysuckleLonicera elisae Lonicera etrusca – Etruscan honeysuckleLonicera fargesii Lonicera ferdinandii Lonicera ferruginea Lonicera flava – yellow honeysuckleLonicera floribunda Lonicera fragrantissima – winter honeysuckleLonicera glabrata Lonicera glehnii Lonicera gracilipes Lonicera griffithii Lonicera guatemalensis Lonicera guillonii Lonicera gynochlamydea Lonicera harae
- Lonicera × heckrottii – golden flame honeysuckle
- Lonicera × helvetica Lonicera heterotricha Lonicera hildebrandiana – giant Burmese honeysuckleLonicera himalayensis Lonicera hirsuta – hairy honeysuckleLonicera hispida Lonicera hispidula – pink honeysuckleLonicera humilis Lonicera hypoglauca Lonicera hypoleuca Lonicera iberica Lonicera iliensis Lonicera implexa Lonicera interrupta – Chaparral honeysuckleLonicera involucrata – bearberry honeysuckle
- Lonicera × italica Lonicera japonica – Japanese honeysuckleLonicera kansuensis Lonicera kawakamii Lonicera korolkowii – blueleaf honeysuckleLonicera kurobushiensis Lonicera laceana Lonicera lanceolata Lonicera ligustrina
- * Lonicera ligustrina var. ligustrina
- * Lonicera ligustrina var. pileata – privet honeysuckle
- * Lonicera ligustrina var. yunnanensis – boxleaf honeysuckleLonicera litangensis Lonicera longiflora Lonicera longituba Lonicera maackii – Amur honeysuckleLonicera macrantha Lonicera macranthoides Lonicera magnibracteata Lonicera malayana Lonicera maximowiczii Lonicera mexicana Lonicera micrantha Lonicera microphylla Lonicera minutifolia Lonicera mochidzukiana Lonicera modesta Lonicera morrowii – Morrow's honeysuckleLonicera mucronata Lonicera myrtilloides Lonicera nervosa Lonicera nigra – black-berried honeysuckleLonicera nummulariifolia Lonicera oblata Lonicera oblongifolia – swamp fly honeysuckleLonicera obovata Lonicera olgae Lonicera oreodoxa Lonicera pamirica Lonicera paradoxa Lonicera periclymenum – honeysuckle, European honeysuckle, or woodbineLonicera pilosa – Mexican honeysuckleLonicera praeflorens Lonicera purpurascens Lonicera pyrenaica – Pyrenean honeysuckleLonicera quinquelocularis – translucent honeysuckleLonicera reticulata – grape honeysuckleLonicera retusa Lonicera robertsonii Lonicera rupicola Lonicera ruprechtiana – Manchurian honeysuckleLonicera × sargentii Lonicera schmitziana Lonicera semenovii Lonicera sempervirens – trumpet honeysuckleLonicera setifera Lonicera siamensis Lonicera similis – var. delavayi – Delavay honeysuckleLonicera sinomacrantha Lonicera sovetkinae Lonicera spinosa Lonicera splendida – evergreen honeysuckleLonicera stabiana Lonicera stephanocarpa Lonicera steveniana Lonicera strophiophora Lonicera subaequalis Lonicera subhispida Lonicera sublabiata Lonicera subsessilis Lonicera subspicata – southern honeysuckleLonicera sumatrana Lonicera taiwanensis Lonicera tangutica Lonicera tatarica – Tatarian honeysuckleLonicera tatarinowii Lonicera tolmatchevii Lonicera tomentella Lonicera tragophylla – Chinese honeysuckleLonicera tricalysioides Lonicera trichosantha Lonicera tschonoskii Lonicera tubuliflora Lonicera tulinensis Lonicera utahensis – Utah honeysuckleLonicera uzenensis Lonicera vaccinioides Lonicera vidalii Lonicera villosa – mountain fly honeysuckleLonicera webbiana Lonicera xylosteum – fly woodbineLonicera yunnanensis Lonicera zeravshanica