- The scientific name for honeysuckle is Lonicera periclymenum. The name Lonicera comes from Adam Lonicer, a Renaissance botanist. The common name, honeysuckle, derives from an old tradition in which children would bite off the ends of the flowers and suck out the nectar.
- The flowers and leaves are edible - the leaves can be cooked and eaten as a vegetable. In herbal medicine, it has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and calming properties, and has been used to treat fevers, inflammation, and skin infections. Don't eat the berries though. They are toxic to humans. They can, however, be used as a source of dye.
- Other names for the plant are Goat's leaf or woodbine.
- The flowers of wild honeysuckle start off creamy White, but darken in colour when they have been pollinated.
- In the wild, honeysuckle grows in woodlands, twining itself around trees and hedgerows. This gives the plant a twisted stem, which was used in the Bronze Age to make rope and is still a traditional material for bridles and harnesses for pack ponies. The thicker stems can be made into walking sticks which were once popular with music hall performers in Scotland.
- It's an important plant for many species of animal, including the endangered white admiral butterfly - its caterpillars feed exclusively on honeysuckle. Bumble Bees feed on the nectar; dormice build nests in the bark and also feed on the flowers; and while we can't eat the berries, birds, such as thrushes, warblers and bullfinches, can.
- We love the smell of the flowers, so they are often used in perfumes and cosmetics. Cats like it too, so honeysuckle is often added to cat toys.
- There are a number of superstitions associated with honeysuckle. Placed under a pillow it was said to produce pleasant dreams and a good mood - it is still used in aromatherapy pillows today. Bringing it into a home would ensure a happy marriage for the people living there; growing it in the garden would attract love, luck and wealth and protect the garden from negative influences. The scent is said to clear the mind, and even stimulate psychic powers. In Victorian times, honeysuckle was often grown around the doors of homes to ward off evil spirits and Witches.
- It might not have worked on the witches, though, as modern witchcraft websites suggest using it in spells to help attract money or to determine the true worth of something, or someone. Culpepper associated honeysuckle with the planet Mercury and the zodiac sign Cancer.
- Honeysuckle also has a place in literature. To Geoffrey Chaucer, 'wodebyne' was a symbol of steadfastness in love. It is also mentioned in several of Shakespeare's plays including A Midsummer's Nights Dream: "Sleep thou, and I will wind thee in my arms… So doth the woodbine the sweet honeysuckle Gently entwist."
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