History and uses
First recorded botanically by William Turner in 1548.1. Honeysuckle is popular everywhere for its beauty and scent, and has many local names including woodbine, caprifoy, withywind, honey-bund, suckle-bush and sucklings.2. The plant is mentioned in many works of literature, for example in Shakespeare’s Midsummer Nights Dream:
“Sleep thou, and I will wind thee in my arms ... |
So doth the woodbine the sweet honeysuckle |
Gently entwist; the female ivy so |
Enrings the barky fingers of the elm. |
O, how I love thee! how I dote on thee!" |
The name of the plant comes from the way children like to suck the flower base to extract the sweet nectar. The leaves are thought to be a cure for jaundice.2.
Associated species
Honeysuckle is the food plant for the larvae of the Nationally Scarce broad-bordered Bee hawk-moth Hemaris fuciformis in open woodlands and a favourite nectar plant of the elephant hawkmoth Deilephila elpenor in gardens. Honeysuckle flowers from June to September, followed by red berries which provide food for birds. 78 species of invertebrates are recorded as feeding on honeysuckle, especially the broad-bordered bee-hawk moth Hemaris fuciformis which isn't often recorded outside woodland clearings, and (occasionally) eight other hawkmoth species as well. It is a main foodplant for the marsh fritillary butterfly Euphydryas aurinia and the beautiful white admiral Limenitis camilla which is expanding its range and is occasionally spotted in gardens.3.
References
1. Pearman, D. The Discovery of the Native Flora of Britain and Ireland. 2017. BSBI, Bristol. p261
2. Vickery, R. 2019. Vickery’s Folk Flora, An A to Z of the Folklore and Uses of British and Irish Plants. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. London. p370
3. Biological Records Centre database
Page drafted by Caroline Ware, compiled by Steve Head
Honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum
Family: Caprifoliaceae – Honeysuckle family
Climbs to: 8m
Flowering: June to September
Fruiting: Late summer and autumn
.jpg "Honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum Photo: By Isidre blanc - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37890018")
Honeysuckle is a vigorous native deciduous twining climber needing the support of trees or hedges in its woodland habitat. It is also suitable for growing up a fence or wall, with support, where it may provide nesting habitat for birds.
In nature it is found in woodland edges and hedgerows. The flowers are a beautiful day and evening-scented addition to the garden. The berries are toxic to us in quantity, but you could grow the non-native edible honeysuckle Lonicera caerulea which has blueberry-like fruits.
Honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum
Climbs to: 8m
Flowering: June to September
Fruiting: Late summer and autumn
AGM award for two cultivars
Honeysuckle is a vigorous native deciduous twining climber needing the support of trees or hedges in its woodland habitat. It is also suitable for growing up a fence or wall, with support, where it may provide nesting habitat for birds.
In nature Honeysuckle is found in woodland edges and hedgerows. The flowers are a beautiful day and evening-scented addition to the garden. The berries are toxic to us in quantity, but you could grow the non-native edible honeysuckle Lonicera caerulea which has blueberry-like fruits.
History and uses
First recorded botanically by William Turner in 1548.1. Honeysuckle is popular everywhere for its beauty and scent, and has many local names including woodbine, caprifoy, withywind, honey-bund, suckle-bush and sucklings.2. The plant is mentioned in many works of literature, for example in Shakespeare’s Midsummer Nights Dream:
“Sleep thou, and I will wind thee in my arms ... |
So doth the woodbine the sweet honeysuckle |
Gently entwist; the female ivy so |
Enrings the barky fingers of the elm. |
O, how I love thee! how I dote on thee!" |
The name of the plant comes from the way children like to suck the flower base to extract the sweet nectar. The leaves are thought to be a cure for jaundice.2.
Associated species
Honeysuckle is the food plant for the larvae of the Nationally Scarce broad-bordered Bee hawk-moth Hemaris fuciformis in open woodlands and a favourite nectar plant of the elephant hawkmoth Deilephila elpenor in gardens. Honeysuckle flowers from June to September, followed by red berries which provide food for birds. 78 species of invertebrates are recorded as feeding on honeysuckle, especially the broad-bordered bee-hawk moth Hemaris fuciformis which isn't often recorded outside woodland clearings, and (occasionally) eight other hawkmoth species as well. It is a main foodplant for the marsh fritillary butterfly Euphydryas aurinia and the beautiful white admiral Limenitis camilla which is expanding its range and is occasionally spotted in gardens.3.
References
1. Pearman, D. The Discovery of the Native Flora of Britain and Ireland. 2017. BSBI, Bristol. p261
2. Vickery, R. 2019. Vickery’s Folk Flora, An A to Z of the Folklore and Uses of British and Irish Plants. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. London. p370
3. Biological Records Centre database
Page drafted by Caroline Ware, compiled by Steve Head
Garden Wildplants
Garden Wildplants
