How to Eat a Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle has a beautiful aroma when in bloom. With a smell almost as good as honey tastes, there is no wonder how it got its name, and no surprise that someone figured out that you could eat it. The flowers have a sweet nectar that is delicious, but that is the only part of the plant you should eat. The berries are poisonous. Try it for yourself.

Honeysuckle Facts

Honeysuckle is the general, common name for about 200 species of deciduous, semi-evergreen flowering vines and shrubs. Two of the most widely recognized species of honeysuckle include Lonicera periclymenum, better known as common honeysuckle, and Lonicera japonica, called Japanese Honeysuckle. Common honeysuckle, usually found in Europe, is known to climb up to 32 feet high, has white and yellowish colored flowers and sprouts red berries. In summer months, watering and mulching is essential to preserving the roots and discouraging aphids from attacking the plant. In addition to being used as a cut flower in bouquets, baskets and potpourri, honeysuckle has long been associated with superstition. It was also thought to cause pleasant dreams and enhance mood when placed under a pillow. Both William Shakespeare and Geoffrey Chaucer refer to the honeysuckle plant in “Twelfth Night,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “The Canterbury Tales.”