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Common Name: Italian Honeysuckle

General Information

Lonicera caprifolium is a Deciduous Climber up to 6.00 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Europe - Austria and Czechoslovakia to Romania and Turkey. Introduced in Britain.

Habitat

Hedges, scrub and woods[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Deciduous Climber
Height	6.00 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Pollinators	Lepidoptera
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a good moist soil with its roots in the shade and its top growing into the light[]. Succeeds even in quite deep shade[]. Tolerates both acid and alkaline soils, only showing distress on very alkaline soils[].
Plants are hardy to about -15°c[].
Plants are moderately fast-growing[]. They climb by twining around other plants[].
The flowers are very fragrant, especially of a night time in order to attract pollinating moths, and are produced in abundance[, , ], but plants only produce fruit after a hot summer[].
Plants are prone to attacks by mildew and blackfly[].

Edible Uses

The fruit is eaten in small quantities[]. It is probably cooked first[].
An infusion of the heavily perfumed flowers is used as a tea substitute[].

Medicinal

The fruit is emetic and cathartic[]. The pressed juice makes a mild purgative[, ].
The leaves and flowers are antispasmodic, emollient and expectorant[]. They are used as a cutaneous and mucous tonic and as a vulnerary[]. Recent research has shown that the plant has an outstanding curative action in cases of colitis[].
The seed is diuretic[].
The plant is used in Bach flower remedies - the keywords for prescribing it are 'Dwelling upon thoughts of the past', 'Nostalgia' and 'Homesickness'[].

Other Uses

An essential oil has been extracted from the flowers and used to make a very sweet perfume, but yields are extremely low[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Stored seed requires 2 months cold stratification[] 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, mid summer in a frame. Good percentage[].
Cuttings of mature wood of the current season's growth, 15 - 20cm with or without a heel, late autumn in a cold frame. Good percentage[].
Layering in autumn[].