Honeysuckles
Honeysuckles are plants in the family Caprifoliaceae, and more specifically, the subfamily Caprifolioideae, which includes two genera of interest: Lonicera, the true honeysuckles, and the closely related Leycesteria.
Honeysuckles include a large number of species (about 200 in the subfamily), but edibility among them is highly variable and many species are toxic. Caution is advised when identifying plants.
A number of species are planted as ornamentals. The honeysuckle plant that is likely most familiar to the average American is the Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), which has naturalized throughout the eastern United States and is considered invasive in some states there. Like many other honeysuckles, Japanese honeysuckle is well-known for the sweet nectar that can be extracted from the flowers.
Other species produce edible and flavorful fruit. One, the honeyberry, is native to the Pacific Northwest, has been domesticated and cultivated, and is an excellent crop for northern climates like ours.
Species
Honeyberries
Honeyberry (Lonicera caerulea)
Pheasantberries
Pheasantberry (Leycesteria formosa)
Narrow-leaf honeysuckle (Lonicera angustifolia)
Honeyberries
Honeyberries are produced from the blue fly-honeysuckle, Lonicera caerulea. Their flavor is often described as somewhere between a raspberry and a blueberry. Personally, I haven’t yet eaten them fresh, and have only tasted them processed into jam or liqueur. One major appeal with honeyberries is that they ripen much earlier than most berries and are one of the first fresh fruit available in late spring and early summer, depending on the variety.
Lonicera caerulea is native to Eurasia and North America, with a wide distribution across the Northern Hemisphere up into the boreal regions. With several subspecies, L. caerulea covers a range from western Europe across Central Asia into eastern Asia. The American subspecies, L. caerulea ssp. cauriana, is native to the western side of the continent, from Alaska down to California, and includes the entire Pacific Northwest. That said, our native subspecies does not appear to have been used in cultivation so far.
Selection and cultivation of honeyberries began in Russia in the 1950s. In the 1970s, Japanese researchers in Sapporo started to breed other varieties from their local plants, called “haskap”, a name derived from the indigenous Ainu language of Hokkaido.
In the 1990s and 2000s, researchers in both Canada and the United States undertook breeding programs to select blue honeysuckle plants for local cultivation. The Canadian program took place in Saskatchewan with Dr. Bob Bors and the American one took place right here in the Pacific Northwest, at Oregon State University, with Dr. Maxine Thompson.
Japanese varieties were favored by Dr. Thompson because our climate is warmer and has variable springs, which can trigger early blooming in the Russian varieties. As a result, varieties from the Pacific Northwest are generally derived from Japanese varieties and often called “haskaps”. Russian varieties can be planted, too, and are early producers (as early as May), but are more prone to issues due to weather and have smaller, tarter fruit. The promise of fresh berries in May could be worth the risk to some, though.
Considering that the range of our native subspecies, L. caerulea ssp. cauriana, extends well into California, it’s hard not to imagine that there might be potential for other varieties to be developed from it. It appears to fruit much later (in mid to late summer) than the cultivated varieties. Currently, more honeyberries are grown in Canada, but there is a small amount of honeyberry production in the Pacific Northwest as well. Hopefully it grows.
Mountain fly-honeysuckle
Lonicera villosa, the mountain fly-honeysuckle, is a related honeyberry plant native to eastern North America from the Great Lakes north. It also produces small, edible blue berries. It is still under debate whether it represents a separate species or if it’s actually a subspecies of L. caerulea. Currently, it isn’t found or grown in the Pacific Northwest.
Pheasantberries
Leycesteria formosa, the pheasantberry or Himalayan honeysuckle, is a plant commonly found as an ornamental in gardens in the Pacific Northwest on the western side of the Cascades. It’s also commonly planted in the UK and New Zealand, where it has become invasive. Our dry summers seem to be preventing that from happening here, however it is best to be mindful.
The pheasantberry itself is a peculiar fruit with a flavor like burnt caramel. Some people report variable quality of flavor, but I myself have only had good experiences. The fruit is sweet, slightly acidic, and really takes like caramelized sugar. Pheasantberries don’t ripen evenly. Throughout fall, they produce small berries that are soft and brownish-black when ripe. At first glance, the plant may look similar to chokeweed berries, which also grow in the Pacific Northwest but are highly toxic, so be certain of your identification if trying the berries for the first time.
Other species
Honeysuckle berries
Information about other honeysuckle species is often contradictory or incomplete, so I’m not comfortable giving a final opinion on them. I’ve read, from some sources, that all honeysuckle berries are non-toxic and edible, but most are not palatable enough to eat. I’ve also read the complete opposite, that all honeysuckle berries are toxic, and none are safe to eat. I’m not sure who to believe at this point. There are roughly 200 species of honeysuckles in the world, but of these, I can only say with certainty that the honeyberry and the pheasantberry produce edible berries. Besides these two, there is only one other that I’ve read about that may produce a good berry, the narrow-leaf honeysuckle.
Narrow-leaf honeysuckle: Lonicera angustifolia is a honeysuckle species from the Himalayas that is said to produce small, red, edible berries of decent palatability in summer. Several research articles list is as an edible plant, but I was unable to find much information, other than its name in Chinese - it’s known as “xia ye ren dong” (狭叶忍冬). Given its native habitat, however, it would likely grow in the Pacific Northwest.
Honeysuckle flowers
Most honeysuckle species produce attractive and showy flowers that are popular with garderners and landscapers. As they are generally from cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, gardeners in the Pacific Northwest have plenty of species to choose from for ornamental purposes.
That said, we are most likely to see a handful of species in nurseries and gardens here. A few of these have documented culinary uses. These are the Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), the European honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum), and the Italian honeysuckle (Lonicera caprifolium).
Their first use is as a source of nectar. The flowers can be pinched at the base, and the pistil can be pulled out to extract a little bit of nectar. This is a popular and common practice with children growing up where honeysuckles are found. I used to do this when I was kid.
The dried or fresh flowers can be used to make teas, syrups, and liqueurs. All three have a longstanding history of use for such applications in their respective places of origin, and their dried blossoms are often sold for purchase.
Japanese honeysuckle: Lonicera japonica, the Japanese honeysuckle, is the most likely to be found in the Pacific Northwest. It is native to eastern China, Korea, and Japan, but has been introduced around the world and has naturalized in much of the United States.
European honeysuckle: Lonicera periclymenum, the European honeysuckle, is native to western Europe.
Italian honeysuckle: Lonicera caprifolium, the Italian honeysuckle, in native to Italy, eastern Europe, Turkey and the Caucasus, but is found throughout Europe today. Here it is found as a garden ornamental.
Native species
We have a number of native species in the Pacific Northwest. A handful of these are sometimes said to be edible, but again, information is fairly sparse and sometimes contradictory. I recommend exercising caution if trying any of these, or skipping them entirely as I cannot say with full confidence that they are edible.
Orange honeysuckle: Lonicera ciliosa produces small orange or pink berries that are apparently of low value. The flower nectar may also be edible. The orange honeysucke is found across most of the Pacific Northwest except for the Great Basin region.
Utah honeysuckle: Lonicera utahensis is said to produce small red edible berries. I’m uncertain of their palatability. The plant is found mainly in higher elevations of the Cascades and the Rocky Mountains.
Pink honeysuckle: Lonicera hispidula grows along the coast from California to British Columbia. The plant produces red berries in fall that are edible but of questionable palatability. Some sources state they are various levels of toxic. I have not been able to determine if the flowers are edible.
Twinberry honeysuckle: Lonicera involucrata is named for the pairs of dark berries it produces. Some sources state these are edible and some state that eating more than a few will be toxic. Regardless, the consensus seems to be that they are not palatable either way. Twinberry honeysuckle has a wide range across the western United States and Canada that covers most of the Pacific Northwest.
