Honeysuckle

Honeysuckles (Lonicera, /lɒˈnɪsərə/;[1] syn. Caprifolium Mill.) are arching shrubs or twining vines in the family Caprifoliaceae, native to northern latitudes in North America and Eurasia.[2] Approximately 180 species of honeysuckle have been identified in North America and Eurasia.[2] Widely known species include Lonicera periclymenum (common honeysuckle or woodbine), Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle, white honeysuckle, or Chinese honeysuckle) and Lonicera sempervirens (coral honeysuckle, trumpet honeysuckle, or woodbine honeysuckle). L. japonica is an aggressive, highly invasive species considered as a significant pest on the continents of North America, Europe, South America, Australia, and Africa.[2]

For other uses, see Honeysuckle (disambiguation).

Honeysuckle
1. A flowering branch, 2. A fruiting branch, 3. Longitudinal section of a flower, 4. Fruit cut horizontally.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Dipsacales
Family:	Caprifoliaceae
Subfamily:	Caprifolioideae
Genus:	Lonicera L.
Type species
Lonicera caprifolium
Species
See text - selected species

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 (orange honeysuckle). Honeysuckle derives its name from the edible sweet nectar obtainable from its tubular flowers.[3] The name Lonicera stems from Adam Lonicer, a Renaissance botanist.[2]

Description

Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)

Most species of Lonicera are hardy twining climbers, with a minority of shrubby habit.[2] Some species (including Lonicera hildebrandiana from the Himalayan foothills and L. etrusca from the Mediterranean) are tender and can only be grown outside in subtropical zones. The leaves are opposite, simple oval, 1–10 cm 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 (leading to the common name of "twinberry" for certain North American species). 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 (notably Lonicera caerulea) 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, when it was widely cultivated by the 1860s.[2] It was first discovered in Canada in Ontario forests in 1976, and became invasive by 2007.[2] L. japonica was introduced in Australia between 1820-40.[2]

Several species of honeysuckle have become invasive when introduced outside their native range, particularly in North America, Europe, South America, Australia, and Africa.[2] Invasive species include L. japonica, L. maackii, L. morrowii, L. tatarica, and the hybrid between the last two, L. × bella.[2]

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.[4]

The following hybrids have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:[5]

• L. × heckrottii ‘Gold Flame’[6]
• L. ‘Mandarin’[7]
• L. × purpusii 'Winter Beauty'[8]
• L. × tellmanniana[9]

Other cultivars are dealt with under their species names.

The honeysuckle species Lonicera japonica is grown as a commercial crop for traditional Chinese medicine use.[10]

Phytochemicals and sensory effects

Honeysuckle is renowned for its colorful, fragrant flowers[11][12] and variously colored fruit, indicating the presence of complex phytochemicals underlying these properties. Component analyses of berries from 27 different cultivars and 3 genotypes of edible honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea var. kamtschatica) showed the presence of iridoids, anthocyanins, flavonols, flavanonols, flavones, flavan-3-ols, and phenolic acids.[13] While sugars determine the level of sweetness in the berries, organic acids and polyphenols are responsible for the sour taste and tartness.[13] Some 51 of the same compounds in berries are found in flowers, although the proportions of these compounds varied among cultivars studied.[14]

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.[15]

Selected species

Some 180 species of Lonicera are documented.[2][16]

Lonicera acuminata

Lonicera albiflora – white honeysuckle

Lonicera alpigena – alpine honeysuckle

Lonicera altmannii

Lonicera angustifolia

Lonicera anisocalyx

Lonicera arborea

Lonicera arizonica – Arizona honeysuckle

Lonicera × bella – Bell's honeysuckle

Lonicera biflora

Lonicera bournei

Lonicera brevisepala

Lonicera buchananii

Lonicera buddleioides

Lonicera caerulea – blue-berried honeysuckle

Lonicera calcarata

Lonicera calvescens

Lonicera canadensis – Canada fly honeysuckle, American fly honeysuckle

Lonicera caprifolium – goat-leaf honeysuckle, perfoliate honeysuckle

Lonicera carnosifolis

Lonicera cerviculata

Lonicera chrysantha – Chrysantha honeysuckle

Lonicera ciliosa – orange honeysuckle

Lonicera ciliosissima

Lonicera cinerea

Lonicera codonantha

Lonicera confusa

Lonicera conjugialis – purpleflower honeysuckle

Lonicera crassifolia

Lonicera cyanocarpa

Lonicera dasystyla – Tonkinese honeysuckle

Lonicera dioica – limber honeysuckle

Lonicera elisae

Lonicera etrusca – Etruscan honeysuckle

Lonicera fargesii

Lonicera ferdinandii

Lonicera ferruginea

Lonicera flava – yellow honeysuckle

Lonicera fragilis

Lonicera fragrantissima – winter honeysuckle

Lonicera fulvotomentosa

Lonicera glutinosa

Lonicera graebneri

Lonicera gynochlamydea

Lonicera × heckrottii – Golden flame honeysuckle

Lonicera hellenica – Greek honeysuckle

Lonicera hemsleyana

Lonicera heterophylla

Lonicera hildebrandiana – giant Burmese honeysuckle

Lonicera hirsuta – hairy honeysuckle

Lonicera hispida

Lonicera hispidula – pink honeysuckle

Lonicera humilis

Lonicera hypoglauca

Lonicera hypoleuca

Lonicera implexa

Lonicera inconspicua

Lonicera inodora

Lonicera interrupta – Chaparral honeysuckle

Lonicera involucrata – bearberry honeysuckle

Lonicera japonica – Japanese honeysuckle

Lonicera jilongensis

Lonicera kansuensis

Lonicera kawakamii

Lonicera korolkowii – blueleaf honeysuckle

Lonicera lanceolata

Lonicera ligustrina

Lonicera litangensis

Lonicera longiflora

Lonicera longituba

Lonicera maackii – Amur honeysuckle

Lonicera macrantha

Lonicera macranthoides

Lonicera maximowiczii

Lonicera microphylla

Lonicera minuta

Lonicera minutifolia

Lonicera modesta

Lonicera morrowii – Morrow's honeysuckle

Lonicera mucronata

Lonicera myrtillus

Lonicera nervosa

Lonicera nigra – black-berried honeysuckle

Lonicera nitida – boxleaf honeysuckle

Lonicera nubium

Lonicera nummulariifolia

Lonicera oblata

Lonicera oblongifolia – swamp fly honeysuckle

Lonicera oiwakensis

Lonicera oreodoxa

Lonicera orientalis

Lonicera pampaninii

Lonicera paradoxa

Lonicera periclymenum – (common) honeysuckle, European honeysuckle, or woodbine

Lonicera pileata – privet honeysuckle

Lonicera pilosa – Mexican honeysuckle

Lonicera praeflorens

Lonicera prostrata

Lonicera pyrenaica – Pyrenean honeysuckle

Lonicera quinquelocularis – translucent honeysuckle

Lonicera reticulata – grape honeysuckle

Lonicera retusa

Lonicera rhytidophylla

Lonicera rupicola

Lonicera ruprechtiana – Manchurian honeysuckle

Lonicera saccata

Lonicera schneideriana

Lonicera semenovii

Lonicera sempervirens – trumpet honeysuckle

Lonicera serreana

Lonicera setifera

Lonicera similis – var. delavayi – Delavay honeysuckle

Lonicera spinosa

Lonicera splendida – evergreen honeysuckle

Lonicera standishii – Standish's honeysuckle

Lonicera stephanocarpa

Lonicera subaequalis

Lonicera subhispida

Lonicera sublabiata

Lonicera subspicata – southern honeysuckle

Lonicera szechuanica

Lonicera taipeiensis

Lonicera tangutica

Lonicera tatarica – Tatarian honeysuckle

Lonicera tatarinowii

Lonicera tomentella

Lonicera tragophylla – Chinese honeysuckle

Lonicera tricalysioides

Lonicera trichogyne

Lonicera trichosantha

Lonicera trichosepala

Lonicera tubuliflora

Lonicera utahensis – Utah honeysuckle

Lonicera villosa – mountain fly honeysuckle

Lonicera virgultorum

Lonicera webbiana

Lonicera xylosteum – fly woodbine

Lonicera yunnanensis

• 
  Lonicera japonica
• 
  L. ciliosa
• 
  L. japonica fruit
• 
  L. hispidula
• 
  L. sempervirens
• 
  L. tatarica
• 
  L.caprifolium, Chèvrefeuille

References

1. Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
2. "Lonicera japonica". CABI. 29 November 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
3. "Honeysuckle". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. 2017.
4. RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 978-1405332965.
5. "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 61. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
6. "RHS Plantfinder - Lonicera × heckrottii 'Gold Flame'". Retrieved 25 March 2018.
7. "RHS Plantfinder - Lonicera 'Mandarin'". Retrieved 25 March 2018.
8. "RHS Plant Selector - Lonicera x purpusii 'Winter Beauty'". Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
9. "RHS Plant Selector - Lonicera x tellmannia". Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
10. "Across China: Honeysuckle Planting in Tongwei". New China TV. 17 November 2019.
11. Beardshaw, Chris (2 May 2009). "The honey trap". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
12. Taft, Dave (24 June 2016). "Why the Sweet Scent of Japanese Honeysuckle Signals Trouble". New York Times. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
13. Kucharska, A. Z.; Sokół-Łętowska, A; Oszmiański, J; Piórecki, N; Fecka, I (2017). "Iridoids, Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Edible Honeysuckle Berries (Lonicera caerulea var. kamtschatica Sevast.)". Molecules (Basel, Switzerland). 22 (3): 405. doi:10.3390/molecules22030405. PMC 6155291. PMID 28273885.
14. Kula, M; Głód, D; Krauze-Baranowska, M (2016). "Application of on-line and off-line heart-cutting LC in determination of secondary metabolites from the flowers of Lonicera caerulea cultivar varieties". Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis. 131: 316–326. doi:10.1016/j.jpba.2016.09.010. PMID 27622313.
15. South, Richard (1907). The Moths of the British Isles. F. Warne & Company. p. 1. elephant hawk moth.
16. "GRIN Species Records of Lonicera". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Archived from the original on 2012-12-13. Retrieved 2010-09-16.

External links

• Flora of China: Lonicera species list
•  "Honeysuckle" . The New Students Reference Work . 1914.