Wild Woodbine

A few days ago (18 May to be precise) I was writing about the Fly Honeysuckle, Lonicera xylosteum. In my enthusiasm I gave no consideration to an undoubtedly native species, Lonicera periclymenum. I need to put that right. In our garden we grow Lonicera japonica in a form known as 'Halliana', and it is currently a fine sight as it sprawls across an otherwise awkward section of fencing.

Lonicera japonica scrambles up a fence in our back garden.

Stefen Hill, Daventry. 25 May, 2020

Besides being pleasantly fragrant is a very vigorous plant and has in fact become a problem in some countries including Australia, Brazil and Argentina. I spent ten minutes earlier today with a pair of secateurs removing some rampant branches before they invade neighbours' gardens.

Lovely though it is I rather regret not having planted Wild Woodbine instead. It is a stunning feature of our woodlands and is frequent throughout Northamptonshire. The genus is named after  a 16th century German botanist, Adam Lonitzer, another example of a figure who would have been long forgotten had he not been commemorated in this way. As for periclymenum,  this was the name applied by Dioscorides to an unidentified climbing plant


The flowers are followed by glossy scarlet berries which are inedible to humans, being slightly poisonous, but birds such as thrushes and bullfinches feed on them with impunity.

Our wild honeysuckle is a gorgeous plant.

Of course the plant was familiar to John Clare.

                                   The woodbine tree red berries bear

                                   That clustered hang upon the bower.

                                                                  Village Minstrel, 1821

Curiously, and for no apparent reason, George Claridge Druce, in his 1930 flora, wrote of it as Lonicera Peri-Clymenum (Druce, 1930).

When cutting it back today I noticed that several leaves had been mined. It was the work of a fly, Chromatomyia lonicerae. Several other species mine the leaves but this one is fairly distinctive.


The mines of several insects may be found on honeysuckle leaves. This one,

from our back garden, has been formed by Chromatomyia lonicerae.

Stefen Hill, Daventry, 25 May, 2020

Reference

Druce, G.C. (1930) The Flora of Northamptonshire  Buncle and Co