Honeysuckles are arching or twining vines in the genus Lonicera ([ Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607]) of the family Caprifoliaceae. The genus includes 158 species[ native to northern in North America, Eurasia, and North Africa.][
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Some species are highly fragrant and colorful, so are cultivated as ornamental garden plants. In North America, 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.[
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Description
Most species of Lonicera are hardy twining climbers, with a minority of shrubby habit.[ Some species (including Lonicera hildebrandiana from the Himalayan foothills and Lonicera etrusca from the Mediterranean) are tender and can be grown outside only in subtropical zones. The leaf are opposite, simple oval, long; most are deciduous but some are evergreen.
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Many of the species have sweetly scented, bilaterally symmetrical 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 , 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 Lonicera maackii spreading invasively outside of their home ranges. Many species of Lonicera are eaten by the 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.[ It was first discovered in Canada in Ontario forests in 1976, and became invasive by 2007.][ L. japonica was introduced in Australia between 1820 and 1840.][
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Several species of honeysuckle have become invasive when introduced outside their native range, particularly in North America, Europe, South America, Australia, and Africa.[ Invasive species include L. japonica, Lonicera maackii, L. morrowii, L. tatarica, and the hybrid between the last two, L. × bella.][
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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 Lonicera nitida are used as low, narrow hedges.
The following hybrids have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:
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L. × heckrottii 'Gold Flame'
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L. 'Mandarin'
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L. × purpusii 'Winter Beauty'
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L. × tellmanniana
Other are dealt with under their species names.
The honeysuckle species L. japonica is grown as a commercial crop for traditional Chinese medicine use.[Archived at Ghostarchive and the
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Honeysuckle is also used to scent Chinese teas in a process similar to Jasmine tea. This was popularized in the Qing dynasty.[Mair, Victor H.; Hoh, Erling (2009). The True History of Tea, ch. 9. Thames & Hudson, ISBN 978-0-500-25146-1]
Phytochemicals
Component analyses of berries from 27 different and 3 of edible honeysuckle ( Lonicera caerulea var. kamtschatica) showed the presence of , , , , flavones, flavan-3-ols, and .[ Some 51 of the same compounds in berries are found in flowers, although the proportions of these compounds varied among cultivars studied.]
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.
Species
158 species are accepted.[
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Lonicera acuminata or Lonicera pampaninii – fragrant grove honeysuckle or vine honeysuckle
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Lonicera affinis
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Lonicera alberti
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Lonicera albiflora – white honeysuckle
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Lonicera alpigena – alpine honeysuckle
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Lonicera altmannii
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Lonicera × americana
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Lonicera angustifolia
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Lonicera annamensis
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Lonicera arborea
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Lonicera arizonica – Arizona honeysuckle
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Lonicera asperifolia
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Lonicera × bella – Bell's honeysuckle or showy fly honeysuckle
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Lonicera biflora
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Lonicera bournei
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Lonicera bracteolaris
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Lonicera buschiorum
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Lonicera caerulea – blue-berried honeysuckle
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Lonicera calcarata
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Lonicera cambodiana
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Lonicera canadensis – Canada fly honeysuckle, American fly honeysuckle
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Lonicera caprifolium – goat-leaf honeysuckle, perfoliate honeysuckle
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Lonicera caucasica
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Lonicera cerasina
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Lonicera cerviculata
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Lonicera chamissoi
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Lonicera chrysantha – Chrysantha honeysuckle
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Lonicera ciliosa – orange honeysuckle
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Lonicera confusa
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Lonicera conjugialis – purpleflower honeysuckle
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Lonicera crassifolia
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Lonicera cyanocarpa
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Lonicera deleiensis
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Lonicera demissa
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Lonicera dioica – limber honeysuckle
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Lonicera elisae
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Lonicera etrusca – Etruscan honeysuckle
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Lonicera fargesii
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Lonicera ferdinandii
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Lonicera ferruginea
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Lonicera flava – yellow honeysuckle
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Lonicera floribunda
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Lonicera fragrantissima – winter honeysuckle
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Lonicera glabrata
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Lonicera glehnii
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Lonicera gracilipes
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Lonicera griffithii
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Lonicera guatemalensis
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Lonicera guillonii
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Lonicera gynochlamydea
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Lonicera harae
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Lonicera × heckrottii – golden flame honeysuckle
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Lonicera × helvetica
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Lonicera heterotricha
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Lonicera hildebrandiana – giant Burmese honeysuckle
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Lonicera himalayensis
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Lonicera hirsuta – hairy honeysuckle
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Lonicera hispida
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Lonicera hispidula – pink honeysuckle
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Lonicera humilis
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Lonicera hypoglauca
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Lonicera hypoleuca
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Lonicera iberica
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Lonicera iliensis
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Lonicera implexa
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Lonicera interrupta – Chaparral honeysuckle
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Lonicera involucrata – bearberry honeysuckle
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Lonicera × italica
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Lonicera japonica – Japanese honeysuckle
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Lonicera kansuensis
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Lonicera kawakamii
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Lonicera korolkowii – blueleaf honeysuckle
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Lonicera kurobushiensis
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Lonicera laceana
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Lonicera lanceolata
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Lonicera ligustrina
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Lonicera ligustrina var. ligustrina
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Lonicera ligustrina var. pileata (syn. Lonicera pileata ) – privet honeysuckle
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Lonicera ligustrina var. yunnanensis (syn. Lonicera nitida ) – boxleaf honeysuckle
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Lonicera litangensis
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Lonicera longiflora
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Lonicera longituba
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Lonicera maackii – Amur honeysuckle
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Lonicera macrantha
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Lonicera macranthoides
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Lonicera magnibracteata
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Lonicera malayana
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Lonicera maximowiczii
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Lonicera mexicana
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Lonicera micrantha
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Lonicera microphylla
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Lonicera minutifolia
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Lonicera mochidzukiana
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Lonicera modesta
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Lonicera morrowii – Morrow's honeysuckle
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Lonicera mucronata
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Lonicera myrtilloides
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Lonicera nervosa
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Lonicera nigra – black-berried honeysuckle
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Lonicera nummulariifolia
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Lonicera oblata
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Lonicera oblongifolia – swamp fly honeysuckle
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Lonicera obovata
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Lonicera olgae
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Lonicera oreodoxa
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Lonicera pamirica
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Lonicera paradoxa
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Lonicera periclymenum – (common) honeysuckle, European honeysuckle, or woodbine
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Lonicera pilosa – Mexican honeysuckle
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Lonicera praeflorens
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Lonicera purpurascens
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Lonicera pyrenaica – Pyrenean honeysuckle
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Lonicera quinquelocularis – translucent honeysuckle
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Lonicera reticulata – grape honeysuckle
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Lonicera retusa
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Lonicera robertsonii
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Lonicera rupicola
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Lonicera ruprechtiana – Manchurian honeysuckle
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Lonicera × sargentii
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Lonicera schmitziana
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Lonicera semenovii
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Lonicera sempervirens – trumpet honeysuckle
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Lonicera setifera
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Lonicera siamensis
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Lonicera similis – var. delavayi – Delavay honeysuckle
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Lonicera sinomacrantha
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Lonicera sovetkinae
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Lonicera spinosa
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Lonicera splendida – evergreen honeysuckle
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Lonicera stabiana
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Lonicera stephanocarpa
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Lonicera steveniana
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Lonicera strophiophora
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Lonicera subaequalis
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Lonicera subhispida
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Lonicera sublabiata
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Lonicera subsessilis
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Lonicera subspicata – southern honeysuckle
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Lonicera sumatrana
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Lonicera taiwanensis
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Lonicera tangutica
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Lonicera tatarica – Tatarian honeysuckle
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Lonicera tatarinowii
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Lonicera tolmatchevii
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Lonicera tomentella
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Lonicera tragophylla – Chinese honeysuckle
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Lonicera tricalysioides
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Lonicera trichosantha
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Lonicera tschonoskii
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Lonicera tubuliflora
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Lonicera tulinensis
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Lonicera utahensis – Utah honeysuckle
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Lonicera uzenensis
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Lonicera vaccinioides
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Lonicera vidalii
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Lonicera villosa – mountain fly honeysuckle
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Lonicera webbiana
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Lonicera xylosteum – fly woodbine
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Lonicera yunnanensis
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Lonicera zeravshanica
Several fossil species are known from the Miocene of Asia.
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