Mountain fly honeysuckle, Fuller's honeysuckle
Lonicera villosa

Family: Caprifoliaceae

What it is like

Native to northern North America Lonicera villosa or Mountain honeysuckle is a deciduous Shrub growing to 1.5 m (5ft). The blue berries are eaten raw or preserved. They have a milder flavour than most edible honeysuckles; they can be eaten raw but are mainly used for making jams, jellies and refreshing drinks. There is a distinct bitterness in the flavour, even when fully ripe. Lonicera villosa solonis is smaller plant growing to 0.8 m (2ft 6in).

Lonicera villosa is a deciduous Shrub growing to 1.5 m (5ft) at a slow rate. It is in flower from April to May. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 1.5

Where it is found

Peaty or rocky barrens, bogs and bushy places, especially on limestone.

N. America - Newfoundland to Alaska, south to Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and California.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Fruit - raw or preserved. A milder flavour than most edible honeysuckles, they can be eaten raw but are mainly used in making jams, jellies and refreshing drinks. There is a distinct bitterness in the flavour, even when fully ripe.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating: 0

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

Prefers a good moist soil in a sunny position, fruiting less well when grown in the shade. Closely related to L. caerulea. Polymorphic. For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. The plant growth habit is multistemmed with multiple stems from the crown.

Propagating it: 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, July/August in a frame. Good percentage. Cuttings of mature wood of the current season's growth, 15 - 20cm with or without a heel, November in a cold frame. Good percentage. Layering in autumn.

Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade;

Habit: Shrub

Hardiness: 3-9

Growth: Slow

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

L. coerulea edulis. Reg.