Honeysuckle

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

Honeysuckles (Lonicera, /lɒˈnɪsərə/;^[1] syn. Caprifolium Mill.) are arching shrubs or twining vines in the family Caprifoliaceae, native to the Northern Hemisphere. Approximately 180 species of honeysuckle have been identified. About 100 of these species can be found in China and approximately 20 native species have been identified in Europe, 20 in India, and 20 in North America. 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). In North America hummingbirds are attracted to the flowers on some of these plants, especially L. sempervirens and L. ciliosa (orange honeysuckle). Honeysuckle derives its name from the edible sweet nectar obtainable from its tubular flowers.^[2] The name Lonicera stems from Adam Lonicer, a Renaissance botanist.

Some species are highly fragrant. Several are cultivated as ornamental garden plants, with numerous cultivars available.

Description

Most species of Lonicera are hardy twining climbers, with a large minority of shrubby habit; a handful of 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

Several species of honeysuckle have become invasive when introduced outside their native range, particularly in New Zealand and the United States. Invasive species include L. japonica, L. maackii, L. morrowii, and L. tatarica.

Honeysuckle

Cultivation

Honeysuckles are valued as garden plants, for their ability to cover unsightly walls and outbuildings, their profuse tubular flowers in 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.^[3]

The following hybrids have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:^[4]

Other cultivars are dealt with under their species names.

Phytochemicals and sensory effects

Honeysuckle is renowned for its colorful, fragrant flowers^[9][10] 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.^[11] While sugars determine the level of sweetness in the berries, organic acids and polyphenols are responsible for the sour taste and tartness.^[11] Some 51 of the same compounds in berries are found in flowers, although the proportions of these compounds varied among cultivars studied.^[12]

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 moths are primarily attracted to honeysuckles, and they visit the flowers at night to feed on its nectar.^[13]

Selected species

Some 180 species of Lonicera are documented:^[14]

Honeysuckle Lonicera japonica

Honeysuckle -- Lonicera

L. ciliosa

L. japonica fruit

L. hispidula

L. sempervirens

L. tatarica

L.caprifolium, Chèvrefeuille

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lonicera.

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Honeysuckle

Look up honeysuckle in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

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