Honeysuckle

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Honeysuckles are arching shrubs or twining vines in the genus Lonicera (Template:IPAc-en<ref>Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607</ref>) of the family Caprifoliaceae. The genus includes 158 species<ref name=powo/> native to northern latitudes in North America, Eurasia, and North Africa.<ref name=powo/><ref name="cabi">Template:Cite web</ref> 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 a highly invasive species considered a significant pest in parts of North America, Europe, South America, New Zealand, Australia, and Africa.<ref name=cabi/>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The name Lonicera stems from Adam Lonicer, a Renaissance botanist.<ref name=cabi/>

Description

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Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)

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Wild honeysuckle buds in New York

Most species of Lonicera are hardy twining climbers, with a minority of shrubby habit.<ref name=cabi/> Some species (including Lonicera hildebrandiana from the Himalayan foothills and L. etrusca from the Mediterranean) are tender and can be grown outside only in subtropical zones. The leaves are opposite, simple oval, Template:Convert 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, and it was widely cultivated by the 1860s.<ref name=cabi/> It was first discovered in Canada in Ontario forests in 1976, and became invasive by 2007.<ref name=cabi/> L. japonica was introduced in Australia between 1820 and 1840.<ref name=cabi/>

Several species of honeysuckle have become invasive when introduced outside their native range, particularly in North America, Europe, South America, Australia, and Africa.<ref name=cabi/> Invasive species include L. japonica, L. maackii, L. morrowii, L. tatarica, and the hybrid between the last two, L. × bella.<ref name=cabi/>

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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The following hybrids have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Div col

L. × heckrottii 'Gold Flame'<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
L. 'Mandarin'<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
L. × purpusii 'Winter Beauty'<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
L. × tellmanniana<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Template:Div col end Other cultivars are dealt with under their species names.

The honeysuckle species L. japonica is grown as a commercial crop for traditional Chinese medicine use.<ref>Archived at Ghostarchive Template:Cbignore and the Wayback Machine Template:Cbignore: Template:Cite web Template:Cbignore</ref>

Honeysuckle is also used to scent Chinese teas in a process similar to Jasmine tea. This was popularized in the Qing dynasty.<ref name="Mair-2009">Mair, Victor H.; Hoh, Erling (2009). The True History of Tea, ch. 9. Thames & Hudson, ISBN 978-0-500-25146-1</ref>

Phytochemicals

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.<ref name="soko">Template:Cite journal</ref> While sugars determine the level of sweetness in the berries, organic acids and polyphenols are responsible for the sour taste and tartness.<ref name=soko/> Some 51 of the same compounds in berries are found in flowers, although the proportions of these compounds varied among cultivars studied.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>