Edible honeysuckle ( lat. Lonicera edulis ) - a bush with edible fruits, a species of the genus Honeysuckle ( Lonicera ) of the family Honeysuckle ( Caprifoliaceae ). It grows in Eastern Siberia and the Far East , as well as in Korea and China .
| Edible honeysuckle |
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| Scientific classification |
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| Subfamily : | Caprifolioideae |
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| International scientific name |
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Lonicera edulis Turcz. |
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According to The Plant List , Lonicera edulis is now considered synonymous with Lonicera venulosa subsp. edulis ( Turcz. ex Freyn ) Vorosch. [2]
Deciduous shrub up to a meter high. Young shoots are thin, pubescent, green, sometimes with a purple hue. The old ones at the base reach a thickness of 3 cm, the bark on them is yellowish-brown, without pubescence, exfoliates in narrow stripes. The crown is thick, spherical.
Leaves oblong-lanceolate with pointed peaks, up to 7 cm long, with disc-shaped stipules , fused with short petioles. Young leaves are densely pubescent; pubescence is rare or absent on older ones.
The flowers are yellowish, funnel-shaped, arranged in pairs in the axils of the leaves. Flowering time - May - early June.
The fruits are dark blue with a gray waxy coating, 9-12 mm long, the shape is diverse: cylindrical, oblong-elliptical, sometimes roundish. Ripen in late June-July. The pulp is juicy, red-violet.
Seeds are small, light brown, about 2 mm long.
The fruits of this type of honeysuckle are edible, taste sweet and sour. They are consumed fresh, and also make jam , compotes , juice . Along with other edible species used in breeding , with the aim of breeding more large-fruited and productive varieties .
Sometimes edible honeysuckle is grown as an ornamental plant .