Lonicera caerulea
Encyclopedia
Lonicera caerulea is a honeysuckle
native 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 flower
s 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.
, treated as subspecies
by some authors:
Within-row spacing is recommended at 1 meter if you want the plants to grow into a hedge. At 1.5 meters they could remain as individual bushes for many years. Plants will grow to be 1.5 to 2 meters tall and wide. Haskap adapts to a wide range of pH, between 5 and 8. They prefer high organic matter, well drained soils, and lots of sunlight for optimum productivity. They are more tolerant of wet conditions than most fruit species. Harvest season can be 2 weeks before strawberries for Russian type varieties but Japanese types will ripen at a similar time to Strawberries. Two compatible varieties are needed for cross pollination and fruit set.
This is a northern adapted species that can tolerate -45C/F temperatures in winter. In North America most Russian varieties are adapted to Hardiness zones 1 to 4. Likely gardeners living in zone 5 and 6 would need to use the Japanese varieties, which are far less likely to grow during warm periods during winter. The southern range of where this plant could be grown is not yet known.
Often it will fruit the following season after being planted, even if very small. Perhaps by the 3rd year 1 pound (1/2kg) may be harvested. The plants may take 5 or 6 years to obtain full size. Average production on a good bush is about 7 lbs (3 kg) in Japan.
It can be used in processed products: pastries, jams, juice, wine, ice cream, yogurt, sauces, and candies. When frozen fruit is placed in the mouth it melts away. Seeds aren’t noticeable when eating but if you look for them you will see they are practically the same size and shape as those found in kiwi fruit. The skins simply disintegrate which has caused some excitement amongst ice cream and smoothie makers. The fruit also turns dairy products into a bright purple-red. It can make excellent wine, some say similar to grape or cherry wine. The wine will be a rich burgundy colour. Its juice has perhaps 10 to 15x more concentrated color than cranberry juice.
Honeysuckle
Honeysuckles are arching shrubs or twining vines in the family Caprifoliaceae, native to the Northern Hemisphere. There are about 180 species of honeysuckle, 100 of which occur in China; Europe, India and North America have only about 20 native species each...
native throughout the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
.
It is a deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
growing to 1.5-2 m tall. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are opposite, oval, 3-8 cm long and 1-3 cm broad, glaucous green, with a slightly waxy texture. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are yellowish-white, 12-16 mm long, with five equal lobes; they are produced in pairs on the shoots. The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is a blue berry
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
about 1 cm diameter.
Classification
There are nine varietiesVariety (biology)
In botanical nomenclature, variety is a taxonomic rank below that of species: as such, it gets a three-part infraspecific name....
, treated as subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
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 (also known as Haskap). Eastern Asia.
- Lonicera caerulea var. kamtschatica. Northeastern Asia.
- Lonicera caerulea var. pallasii. Northern Asia, northeastern Europe.
- Lonicera caerulea var. villosa. Eastern North America.
Common names
- Haskap: an ancient Japanese name of the Ainu people (also spelled phonetically as Haskappu, Hascap, Hascup) but still used today in Japan and in North America.
- Blue Honeysuckle: descriptive translation from Russia.
- Honeyberry: coined by Jim Gilbert of One Green World Nursery, Oregon, and fairly common in North America.
- Sweet Berry Honeysuckle: an old common name from the 1940s.
- Swamp fly honeysuckle: a common name coined by botanists who found it growing in swampy areas.
- Known in Russia as "Жимолость съедобная" ("Edible Honeysuckle").
Distribution and habitat
The species is circumpolar, primarily found in or near wetlands of boreal forests in heavy peat soils. But it can also be found in high calcium soils, in mountains, and along the northeast coasts of Asia and North America. Interestingly it is absent on west coasts. It has not been found in Norway nor Alaska nor British Columbia.Cultivation and uses
Russia has the longest history of collecting from the wild and breeding this crop. L. c. var. edulis has been used the most in their breeding efforts but other varieties have been bred with it to increase productivity and flavour. In Japan (Hokkaido Island) and in the Oregon State University Haskap breeding programs, L.c. var. emphyllocalyx has been the dominant variety used. The University of Saskatchewan Breeding Program in Canada is also emphasizing L.c. var. emphyllocalyx but is also hybridizing with Russian varieties and L.c. var. villosaWithin-row spacing is recommended at 1 meter if you want the plants to grow into a hedge. At 1.5 meters they could remain as individual bushes for many years. Plants will grow to be 1.5 to 2 meters tall and wide. Haskap adapts to a wide range of pH, between 5 and 8. They prefer high organic matter, well drained soils, and lots of sunlight for optimum productivity. They are more tolerant of wet conditions than most fruit species. Harvest season can be 2 weeks before strawberries for Russian type varieties but Japanese types will ripen at a similar time to Strawberries. Two compatible varieties are needed for cross pollination and fruit set.
This is a northern adapted species that can tolerate -45C/F temperatures in winter. In North America most Russian varieties are adapted to Hardiness zones 1 to 4. Likely gardeners living in zone 5 and 6 would need to use the Japanese varieties, which are far less likely to grow during warm periods during winter. The southern range of where this plant could be grown is not yet known.
Often it will fruit the following season after being planted, even if very small. Perhaps by the 3rd year 1 pound (1/2kg) may be harvested. The plants may take 5 or 6 years to obtain full size. Average production on a good bush is about 7 lbs (3 kg) in Japan.
It can be used in processed products: pastries, jams, juice, wine, ice cream, yogurt, sauces, and candies. When frozen fruit is placed in the mouth it melts away. Seeds aren’t noticeable when eating but if you look for them you will see they are practically the same size and shape as those found in kiwi fruit. The skins simply disintegrate which has caused some excitement amongst ice cream and smoothie makers. The fruit also turns dairy products into a bright purple-red. It can make excellent wine, some say similar to grape or cherry wine. The wine will be a rich burgundy colour. Its juice has perhaps 10 to 15x more concentrated color than cranberry juice.