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Lonicera caerulea

Common name:		Family:	Caprifoliaceae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	11, 200, 235
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	N.E. Europe. Northern N. America - Newfoundland to Alaska and southwards.
Habitat:	Low ground[235].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	L. caerulea var. glabrescens[G] L. coerulea[H]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Blue-berried Honeysuckle [L], Sweet-berry Honeysuckle [B], Sweetberry Honeysuckle [P,L],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	caerulea = blue
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Dipsacales. Honeysuckle family

Physical Characteristics

A decidious shrub growing to 2m. It is hardy to zone 2. It is in flower from April to May. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.

Edible Uses

Fruit.

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

Disclaimer

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].

Cultivars

'': No entries have been made for this species as yet.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Lonicera coerulea (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for the family Caprifoliaceae.

To be included in the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

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. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
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. MacMillan and Co 1948
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. Keigaku Publishing 1976
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. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
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. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
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 Dover Publications. New York. 1970 ISBN 0-486-22642-5
Reprint of a 1913 Flora, but still a very useful book.

Readers Comments

Lonicera caerulea

Lukasz Luczaj (sluczaj@box43.gnet.pl) 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.

Details of Growing Condition: SE Poland mean temp 8 C, January -6 C, July 19 C rainfall 800 mm/year.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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