Talk:Honeysuckle

Untitled
Well on most plant pages we typically show one photo only, and then link to others if there are others. At least that's how it was being done weeks ago; I'm not sure if that's how it's still being done. Also, I'm on broadband but I know most people aren't, so we should probably limit download sizes when possible. Koyaanis Qatsi


 * Take a look at Spanish moss to see how another page does it. What do you think?  Koyaanis Qatsi


 * Linking sounds alright to me; I just wouldn't like to see an image relegated to the orphanage after some fellow wikipedian went to the trouble to scan and upload it. Mkweise 05:07 Feb 20, 2003 (UTC)


 * Actually, I've deleted several of my own photos after someone uploaded a better one (this happened already at blueberry and sunflower), but I see your point. I'll link them instead.  Hey, Jimbo says hard drive space is cheap!  :-)  Koyaanis Qatsi


 * IMO there's a lot to be said for a good old-fashioned artists' rendering of a plant, animal or especially a person. It lends a refreshing human touch. Mkweise 06:24 Feb 20, 2003 (UTC)


 * Ok, but I'm a human too and there are human decisions in how to take and present a picture--lens choice, angle of view, depth of field, distance to subject, lighting, etc. Koyaanis Qatsi, slightly miffed amateur photographer.  :-)


 * Didn't mean to discount the human input that goes into photography, but I still find there's something charmingly "retro" about hand drawings. (I feel the same way about acoustic instruments.) Mkweise 08:05 Feb 20, 2003 (UTC)

-- Lonicera

gardens
I think it should be mentioned that many species and cultivars are grown as ornamentals. The reason I didn't add it myself is that I'm wondering whether "most common" species means most common in gardens. If so, then ornamental value should probably be mentioned right before that sentence. &mdash;JerryFriedman 18:50, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Pruning
Would it be appropriate to add a section on pruning the honeysuckle?

Toxic to dogs
It might be helpful to mention that honeysuckle is toxic to dogs and could kill them if ingested. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 207.178.234.98 (talk) 14:40, 8 May 2007 (UTC). yes its advised that the honeysuckle berries are not ingested by pets as it may lead to fatalities — Preceding unsigned comment added by 213.94.150.28 (talk) 12:53, 29 October 2011 (UTC)

Growing
How to? Buy from garden store? Seed, cuttings, transplant, luck? jengod 19:57, 14 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Is this for encyclopedic record or personal interest? I've seen decorative honeysuckles sold as plants in nurseries, but I believe in my state (FL) it's illegal to trade the Japanese kind because it's an incorrigible weed. I have scads of it in my backyard. Anyway, is this about adding something about growing the stuff to the article, because I'm sure if you looked up a major nursery catalogue it can be found, either for reference or personal value. Hmm, I wonder if a nursery catalogue is a proper reference for how plants are sold.... Garnet avi (talk) 08:57, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Edibility?
When I was little, there was a plant - either this or Gentiana Andrewsii  that we used to pluck the flowers and suck from the bottem... sweet - sweet enough to continue to do, but not become obsessive about (i.e. if something/ANYTHING came up that was better to do.. even an ephermeral idea... off we went... still they were sweet.) Not all were sweet - some were tasteless.. but the sweetness was worth continuing. Flowers were not eaten - sucked from the bottom - flower part tossed (mainly because after sucking the flavor was gone). To my knowledge this was 1) flowers consumed only by children 2) considered a weed in the flowerbeds of the adults 3) usually readily found on the edges of flower beds in our area (natural soil type was dense clay) 4) only bloomed toward end of summer (shoot - was about 25 yrs ago) 5) usually found same areas where you find flowering clover.. only closer to domesticated flowers (at least the ones that survive the weedwhacker)

We called them Bluebells, but looking at the pictures of bluebells today... nope... single flower, short plant. Much more like the Bottle Gentians but as a young lad... who didn't gave a hoot - it was a flower, blue, usually closed , sized (as defined) in a plant sized between clover and strawberry (closer to clover) and usually found where clover was.. but only flowering close to flowerbeds.. but amongst the clover outside the actual bed. When the flowers did unfold, they looked more like gentiana than when still closed..

No idea what the plant was (never paid much attention as I grew older), gardeners in this area considered it a weed... kids though it was a sweet treat in the july/aug period.. area is north central NJ. (Don't know if they still do it, but was same time frame you braved the bees to pick the wild ras/blackberries from those thickets (blueberry almost as hard.. just not as dangerous ;) [or same time of year])


 * I did this in elementary school living in Maryland. It was definitely Japanese Honeysuckle. You pull off the green back and push up on the flower tube and a drop of necter beads up. I've done it more recently, but it's not that much necter and the novelty's worn off. You can do this with clover, too, but that's even trickier. Garnet avi (talk) 09:02, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Hybrids
I notice that none of the hybrids made it into this article. Here, in Portland (Oregon, USA) the available sorts are: These are all climbers. I know the last two at first hand, and they have really long blooming seasons, unlike any of the species Honeysuckles of my acquaintance. I read somewhere a long time ago that Honeysuckles that have scented flowers are pollinated by bumblebees, but those having unscented (to humans, at least) are pollinated by flies. The usual practice in this Encyclopedia would have that the title of this article be Lonicera, not Honeysuckle. Some problems I also noted in other Lonicera-related articles.C.s.auaeginal (talk) 00:43, 23 February 2013 (UTC)c.s.auaeginal
 * Lonicera × brownii (12 feet, USDA Hardiness Zone 5),
 * L. × tellmannia (15 feet, Zone 5),
 * L. × heckrottii (15 feet, Zone 5) and
 * L. × americana (22 feet, Zone 6).

sweet perfume smell
Please add information about the well-known sweet perfume smell odor of honeysuckle. Some varieties have and some don't? Which species most have the familiar smell? -71.174.185.30 (talk) 03:06, 1 June 2017 (UTC)
 * Content and references added. Thanks. --Zefr (talk) 18:38, 1 June 2017 (UTC)

Other species
Removed this vague list from the article under species. Relevance? --Zefr (talk) 18:08, 1 June 2017 (UTC)


 * Burchellia bubalina (L.f.) Sims (as L. bubalina L.f. )
 * Chiococca alba (L.) Hitchc. (as L. alba L. )
 * Spigelia marilandica (L.) L. (as L. marilandica L. )
 * Symphoricarpos orbiculatus Moench (as L. symphoricarpos L. )
 * Viburnum mongolicum (Pall.) Rehder (as L. mongolica Pall. )

redirect
For the sake of consistency with other botanical pages, there should be a genus page called Lonicera that could link to a Honeysuckle page if necessary, or redirect Honeysuckle to Lonicera. Redirecting the scientific name Lonicera to a common name is inconsistent with hundreds of other genus articles. 50.39.102.168 (talk) 01:29, 5 July 2024 (UTC)
 * This appears to already be done, according to Lonicera? - Adolphus79 (talk) 02:55, 5 July 2024 (UTC)