Botanical and Common Names
- Family Caprifoliaceae
- Lonicera caprifolium (Honeysuckle/Honey Suckle, Common honeysuckle, Dutch Honeysuckle, Goat s Leaf, Woodbine, Wood-Bind)
- Lonicera periclymenum (European Honeysuckle, Woodbine)
- Lonicera japonica (Chinese honeysuckle, Jin yin hua)
- Lonicera villosa (American honeysuckle)
- Family Acanthaceae
- Justicia spicigera syn. Jacobinia spicigera (Mexican Honeysuckle, Firecracker Plant, Desert Honeysuckle)
- Spanish: Muicle, Muitle, Chuparrosa, Trompetilla, Mayotl, Mozote, Yerbe de A il
- Nahuatl: Mohuitl
- Maya: Yich-kaan
Cautions
- Do not eat the berries of the red honeysuckle as they are toxic.
Description
The honeysuckle plant is deciduous and native to southern Europe and the Caucasus. L. japonica is semievergreen and native to China and Japan. A perennial climber, the honeysuckle is commonly found growing along walls or forming hedges which, if given suitable support, can reach heights of twenty feet. The shrub has light green oval leaves, which sometimes merge across the stem rather than growing in pairs one on each side. The pink-tinged creamy-white flowers grow in pairs and are basically tubular with diverging lips. The colour of the flowers can vary, but some species produce yellow-orange or yellow-white colours. Poisonous small berries appear after the flowers. The flowers and leaves are gathered in summer just before the flowers open.
The Mexican Honeysuckle is native to the Americas and is a showy plant, producing orange or red flowers that bloom all summer and attract hummingbirds. This bush is favoured in gardens throughout the southwestern US, but it should not be confused with a another plant (J. californica syn.Beloperone californica) which has similar flowers, but very few leaves.
History
