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Lonicera venulosa - Maxim.

Common Name
Family Caprifoliaceae
USDA hardiness 5-9
Known Hazards None known
Habitats In alpine regions at elevations of 800 - 2800 metres[275].
Range E. Asia - Japan.
Edibility Rating    (2 of 5)
Other Uses    (0 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (0 of 5)
Care (info)
Fully Hardy Moist Soil Full sun
Lonicera venulosa


Lonicera venulosa

 

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Summary


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of shrub
Lonicera venulosa is a deciduous Shrub growing to 1.5 m (5ft).
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 6. It is in flower from April to May. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

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]. 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].

References   More on Edible Uses

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

References   More on Medicinal Uses

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FOOD FOREST PLANTS

Other Uses

None known

Special Uses

References   More on Other Uses

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. caerulea[200].

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

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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].

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Native Plant Search

Search over 900 plants ideal for food forests and permaculture gardens. Filter to search native plants to your area. The plants selected are the plants in our book 'Plants For Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests and Permaculture Gardens, as well as plants chosen for our forthcoming related books for Tropical/Hot Wet Climates and Mediterranean/Hot Dry Climates. Native Plant Search

Found In

Countries where the plant has been found are listed here if the information is available

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status :

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Diervilla loniceraBush Honeysuckle, Northern bush honeysuckleShrub1.0 3-8 MLMHSNM022
Lonicera affinis Climber7.0 5-9  LMHSNM11 
Lonicera angustifoliaNarrow-leafed honeysuckleShrub2.7 4-8 MLMHNM402
Lonicera caeruleaSweetberry honeysuckle, Bluefly honeysuckle, Haskap berryShrub2.0 3-9 FLMHNM400
Lonicera canadensisFly Honeysuckle, American fly honeysuckleShrub1.5 3-7  LMHNM11 
Lonicera caprifoliumItalian Honeysuckle, Italian woodbineClimber6.0 4-8 MLMHFSNM122
Lonicera chrysanthaHoneysuckleShrub4.0 3-7  LMHNM10 
Lonicera ciliosaOrange HoneysuckleClimber10.0 4-8 MLMHSNM222
Lonicera gracilipes Shrub1.8 5-9  LMHNM11 
Lonicera gracilipes glabra Shrub1.8 5-9  LMHNM11 
Lonicera henryi Climber6.0 4-8  LMHSNM113
Lonicera involucrataTwinberry, Twinberry honeysuckleShrub1.2 4-8 MLMHNM222
Lonicera japonicaJapanese HoneysuckleClimber5.0 4-10 FLMHSNDM233
Lonicera morrowiiMorrow's honeysuckleShrub2.0 3-7  LMHNM110
Lonicera nitidaBoxleaf HoneysuckleShrub3.0 6-9 FLMHFSNM003
Lonicera periclymenumHoneysuckle, European honeysuckleClimber4.5 4-8 MLMHFSNM123
Lonicera pileataPrivet honeysuckleShrub0.2 4-8  LMHFSNDM003
Lonicera quinquelocularis Shrub5.0 4-8  LMHNDM002
Lonicera sempervirensTrumpet Honeysuckle, Coral HoneysuckleShrub5.0 4-9 FLMHNDM01 
Lonicera utahensisUtah HoneysuckleShrub1.5 4-8  LMHNM11 
Lonicera villosaMountain fly honeysuckle, Fuller's honeysuckleShrub1.5 3-9 SLMHNM300
Lonicera villosa solonis Shrub0.8 -  LMHNM30 

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

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Expert comment

Author

Maxim.

Botanical References

200275

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here

Readers comment

Steve Dupey   Fri Jun 1 2007

Blue Honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea) 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 one of the hotter regions 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 (some might rate them comparable to Oregon grape but sweeter and juicier), 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. Of the various cultivars I have so far tried, this Blue Belle cultivar seems to bear the heaviest, and by no small margin. It ripens by early June. Other plants have not attained full size and optimal bearing age yet though. The berries crop consistently 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.

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Subject : Lonicera venulosa  
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