Lonicera caerulea

Taxobox
name = "Lonicera caerulea"

---

image_width = 250px
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Dipsacales
familia = Caprifoliaceae
genus = "Lonicera"
species = "L. caerulea"
binomial = "Lonicera caerulea"
binomial_authority = L.

"Lonicera caerulea" (Blue-berried Honeysuckle or Sweetberry Honeysuckle) is a honeysuckle native to throughout the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere.

It is a deciduous shrub growing to 1.5-2 m tall. The leaves are opposite, oval, 3-8 cm long and 1-3 cm broad, glaucous green, with a slightly waxy texture. The flowers are yellowish-white, 12-16 mm long, with five equal lobes; they are produced in pairs on the shoots. The fruit is a blue berry about 1 cm diameter.

There are nine varieties, treated as subspecies by some authors:
*"Lonicera caerulea" var. "altaica". Northern Asia.
*"Lonicera caerulea" var. "caerulea". Europe.
*"Lonicera caerulea" var. "cauriana". Western North America.
*"Lonicera caerulea" var. "dependens". Central Asia.
*"Lonicera caerulea" var. "edulis". Eastern Asia.
*"Lonicera caerulea" var. "emphyllocalyx". Eastern Asia.
*"Lonicera caerulea" var. "kamtschatica". Northeastern Asia.
*"Lonicera caerulea" var. "pallasii". Northern Asia, northeastern Europe.
*"Lonicera caerulea" var. "villosa". Eastern North America.

Cultivation and uses

The variety "L. c." var. "edulis" is sometimes grown for its edible berry-like fruit. It is sold in some catalogs under the name 'honeyberry'. It is known in Russia as "Жимолость съедобная" ("Edible Honeysuckle").

References

* [http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?22559 Germplasm Resources Information Network: "Lonicera caerulea"]
* [http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/cgi-bin/nph-readbtree.pl/feout?FAMILY_XREF=&GENUS_XREF=Lonicera&SPECIES_XREF=caerulea&TAXON_NAME_XREF=&RANK= Flora Europaea: "Lonicera caerulea"]