''Lonicera etrusca'' is a species of
honeysuckle
Honeysuckles are arching shrubs or twining vines in the genus ''Lonicera'' () of the family Caprifoliaceae, native to northern latitudes in North America and Eurasia. Approximately 180 species of honeysuckle have been identified in both conti ...
known by the common name Etruscan honeysuckle.
It is native to
Southern Europe
Southern Europe is the southern region of Europe. It is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is essentially marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of Southern Europe include some or all of these countries and regions: Alba ...
,
Western Asia
Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Ana ...
and
North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
and it is known elsewhere, including the Pacific Northwest of North America, as an
introduced species
An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived ther ...
where it has
escaped cultivation. It is kept in gardens as an
ornamental plant
Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...
.
Description
This is a
deciduous
In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...
perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...
climber which can reach lengths of 6 meters. It is lined with oval leaves several centimeters long and bears dense spikes of flowers with pairs of fused leaves at the bases. Each flower has an elongated tubular corolla up to 5 centimeters long divided partway into two lips. The flower is light yellow to pale reddish-pink. The
stamens and
style
Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to:
* Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable
* Design, the process of creating something
* Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...
protrude from the flower's mouth. The fruit is a bright red rounded
berry.
Cultivars
Notable cultivars include 'Donald Waterer' and 'Superba'. The latter has gained the
Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity.
The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...
's
Award of Garden Merit. It bears fragrant cream-coloured flowers, which age to yellow.
Other uses
In addition to the plant being grown as an ornamental, the leaves and flowers of ''L. etrusca ''var''. etrusca'' are used as
fodder on
Mount Honaz
Mount Honaz ( tr, Honaz Dağı), is a mountain and a national park, located in southwestern Turkey, east of the province seat of Denizli. On April 21, 1995, it was proclaimed as a protected area. Honaz, Denizli's depending township that carries ...
and in its vicinity in the
Denizli Province
Denizli Province ( tr, ) is a province of Turkey in Western Anatolia, on high ground above the Aegean coast. Neighbouring provinces are Uşak to the north, Burdur, Isparta, Afyon to the east, Aydın, Manisa to the west and Muğla to the south ...
of
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
.
Toxicity
The berries are poisonous.
[https://www.botanical-online.com/english/honeysuckle-species.htm Retrieved 9.23 6 May 2018.]
References
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentBurke Museum ProfilePhoto gallery
etrusca
The Etruscan civilization () was developed by a people of Etruria in ancient Italy with a common language and culture who formed a federation of city-states. After conquering adjacent lands, its territory covered, at its greatest extent, roughl ...
Flora of Lebanon
{{Dipsacales-stub