Description
Lonicera (Honeysuckle) lon-i-SE-ra
The native honeysuckle, or woodbine, is probably our most exuberant wildflower. In early summer, country lanes are saturated with its perfume, and its brightly colored flowers are an unmistakable sight. According to Shakespeare, Titania slept under ‘luscious woodbine’, Milton described it as ‘flaunting honeysuckle’ and for Keats it occupied the ‘summer thrones’.
The genus to which our native honeysuckle belongs is Lonicera, which contains about 180 species, over half of which are found in China and the rest distributed around Europe, North America and northern India. Although the flowers of the shrubby honeysuckles are often highly scented, they are paltry compared to the flamboyant flowers of the climbing species.
