Lonicera caerulea PFAF Plant Database

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Lonicera caerulea - L.

Common Name

Family

Caprifoliaceae

Synonyms

Known Hazards

None known

Habitats

Low ground[235].

Range

N.E. Europe. Northern N. America - Newfoundland to Alaska and southwards.

Edibility Rating

Medicinal Rating

Care

Summary

Physical Characteristics
Lonicera caerulea is a deciduous Shrub growing to 2 m (6ft 7in). It is hardy to zone 2. It is in flower from Apr to May. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.


http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lonicera_caerulea_Atlas_Alpenflora.jpg

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Selso

Habitats
Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit.
Edible Uses:

The following report is for the closely related L. villosa, it would be worthwhile experimenting with this plant to check on edibility[K]. The fruit of this species is about 5mm in diameter[235]. Fruit - raw or preserved[43, 105, 200]. A milder flavour than most edible honeysuckles, they can be eaten raw but are mainly used in making jams, jellies and refreshing drinks[183].

Medicinal Uses
Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally. None known

Other Uses
None known

Cultivation details

Grows best in a good moist soil in a sunny position, it does not fruit so well in the shade[200]. Closely related to L. villosa[200]. Interesting botanically because it appears as though two flowers arise from a single ovary[11]. The fruit is actually a fleshy growth that surrounds the two ovaries[11]. A very variable species[11], there are some named forms selected for their ornamental value[200].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Stored seed requires 2 months cold stratification[113] and should be sown as soon as possible in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 7 - 10cm with or without a heel, July/August in a frame. Good percentage[78]. Cuttings of mature wood of the current season's growth, 15 - 20cm with or without a heel, November in a cold frame. Good percentage[78]. Layering in autumn[200].

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Expert comment

Author
L.

Botanical References
11200235

Links / References

[K] Ken Fern Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[11]Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement.

A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[43]Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany.

A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[78]Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers.

A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[105]Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.

The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[113]Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation.

A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[183]Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.

Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.

Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[235]Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada

Reprint of a 1913 Flora, but still a very useful book.

Readers comment

Elizabeth H.
Lukasz Luczaj	Mon Feb 18 15:07:26 2002

This plant, exactly its Kamtschaka variety, under the name "jagoda kamczacka" (Kamtchatka berry) is now very trendy and available in any garden center in Poland. It is said to have the earliest fruit in Polish gardens (end of May), earlier than strawberries (mid-June). It develops leaves very early, may be frost-sensitive in maritime climates.

Elizabeth H.
Robert [ Bob ] O Styles	Thu Jan 24 2008

One Green World Nursery--Metalla, Oregon USA ph 1-877-353-4208 carries 12 varaites of honey berry eg:Berry Blue 8' Blue Belle 4-5' Blue Bird 5-6' Blue Forest 3' Blue Lightning 5' Blue moon 4'Blue Nova 4' Blue pacific 3' Blue Sky 3-4' Blue Velvet 3-4' Kamchatka var.#6222 Smokey Blue3-4' & other uncommon fruit var. hope this is helpful- Bob styles

Elizabeth H.
Jim Jackson	Sun Sep 23 2007

University of Saskatchewan several articles. They use the Japanese name for Lonicera caerulea - Haskap

Elizabeth H.
Jim Jackson	Sun Sep 23 2007

University of Saskatchewan Dept. of Plant Sciences

Elizabeth H.
Steve Dupey	Tue Jun 6 2006

Featured as an unusual new berry crop, and sold as "Honeyberry" in many garden catalogs lately, Blue Honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea) hails from the Russian far east (where it is known as jumula) and northen Japan where it is apparently a common forest understory plant and much appreciated as a wild-picked berry. There isn't a lot of information online about its edible qualities however, so I thought I would add my own comments. Having planted a number of cultivars some years ago, I found the plant easy to grow here in zone five (interior Pacific Northwest). It does suffer a bit in mid-summer heat here in the hotter region of the state, and seems to perfer moist soil and partial shade at those times. Though only of mediocre quality as a berry eaten fresh off the bush, tasting something akin to a slightly sour inferior blueberry with a slight aftertaste, the species nonetheless has some redeeming and valuable qualities. Sweetened and cooked as a jam, jelly, syrup, juice, or pie-filling, these berries are quite flavorful, and I would rate them as good to very good, rather than the poor to mediocre rating that I have given them as a freshly eaten berry. My Blue-belle cultivar provided a small initial harvest today and I cooked a sample up for testing. The berries bore fairly well on the small bush (about 4' high), and the juicy blue elongated berries typically measured about 5/8 inches long by 3/8 inches in diameter. One cup of berries combined with 1/4 cup water, and 5 tablespoons of sugar, and then simmered for about 12 minutes while stirring and mashing the berries yeilded a rich maroon-colored jam which I found to be highly flavored and fragrant, tasting something like a combination of blueberry and blackberry but with its own distinct flavors throughout. To a portion of this I added a bit of cornstarch, and ended up with what seemed like would serve as an excellant pie-filling material, though the above proportion of berries and sugar seems to have thickened fairly well on its own as a soft jam. This bush is extremely cold-hardy (rated to zone 2 in the catalogs). It has shown no sign of winter dieback here though its branches are quite brittle and break easily from snow and birds even. It is absolutely the first berry to bloom and bear fruit around here. I am picking June 6th this year, which is a couple weeks ahead of my strawberries. The elongated tubular twin-flowers seem very frost-hardy, and early in the spring are quite attractive to bumblebees and other long-tongued bees which can reach the nectar deep within them. I have grown these berry plants from seed. After a cold, moist, winter stratification, they sprout readily enough but losses to the tiny young plants were fairly high over time. The plants produce berries in two to three years, and seem fairly true-to-form with the parents. Clearly however, the way to propagate this plant is through layering of the branches in moist soil, or perhaps cuttings (which I have not experimented with). Branches buried last year with tips exposed are now rooting nicely. In coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest this plant probably grows most vigorously of all, though the early bloom and cool wet weather may cause pollination and yield problems. (There are later blooming cultivars being sold to remedy this though.) With its increasing familiarity and planting, I would expect bird-sown seeds to cause Blue Honeysuckle to naturalize readily within a few years of its introduction in America.

Elizabeth H.
Kathryn Smith	Thu Aug 10 2006

Oh joy! Another escaped honeysuckle to invade our forests.

Elizabeth H.
R.O[Bob] Styles	Tue Sep 5 2006

I've been in the Landscape gardening bus.since 1957,have operated most of that time as T&S[Trees & Shrubs] Landscaping approx 45 years and am still very attached to this multi-faceted enterprise, I have been now near 69 yrs. of age still very introduced to at least 4 varietys of edible fruit bearing Lonicera cold hardy [honey berry honeysuckle, possible very high yield bushes,[givin the proper soil & nurturing conditions. I would appreciate professional info.re.this plant product,how to purchace,how to care,age to full prod,amt of prod. per.plant, no of plants per 100 lineal ft.,width between rows & cost of plants in var. quantites, available varietys, & info. re. variety. THANKS SO MUCH in advance for your help, Yours Truly Robert [Bob]O Styles /T&S Landscaping.EMAIL, ebstyles@telus.net Mailing add. P.O.Box 626 Tumbler Ridge B.C,Home Add.155 Bergeron Drive, Tumbler Ridgr B.C. V0C 2W0, Phone 1-250-242-3313

Elizabeth H.
Dave Negrych	Fri Oct 5 2007

Haskap Canada Association Haskap.ca is a website dedicated to promoting the production and marketing of Canadian grown haskap.

Elizabeth H.
Clayton Wiebe	Mon Feb 4 2008

I think the horse is out of the corral and the gate can't be closed. I have been in touch with gardeners in Poland and Czech Republic and it is a quite a common plant throughout the region. It is also a popular plant when you look for nutraceuticals from China and other parts of the continent there. Most of what we are seeing is Russian in origin and there is now some effort to incorporate the Japanese line from Hokkaido Island. In conversation with Dr. Bob Bors here at the University of Saskatchewan, he indicated that when they were doing species collection in the province of Manitoba, they did not find the plant to be invasive nor have they found it self propagating at or near their trials. I have a number of seedlings from various sources and will have first fruit this year. I surprised at the number of named plants being offered as there are also a number of new varieties here in Canada. All are Russian source as far as I know.

Elizabeth H.
Bob Bors	Wed Jan 9 2008

Regarding the comment "another escaped species to invade our forests": This species is already native to our northern boreal forrest. Unlike other Lonicera this species is not very aggressive. I have found it in 35 sites in Canada and never have I seen it to be a dominant species. also, we've grown it for 10 years at the University of Saskatchewan Iand I have never seen a volunteer plant.

Elizabeth H.
Don Northcott	Mon Feb 2 2009

Phytocultures Ltd. web site. News Letter available on line.

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