Scientific Name – Caprifoliacea lonicera
Description – Deciduous but hardy climber (10-20 feet tall) or shrub (6-15 feet tall and wide). Leaves are simple, oval and 1-10 cm long. Flowers are trumpet-shaped, bloom spring to midsummer and are bilaterally symmetrical. They can be orange, red, yellow or white. Sweet and edible nectar can be sucked from the flowers. Attracts hummingbirds. Fruit is red, blue or black and is spherical or elongated. Mature during late summer and continue through the winter.
History – Raw honeysuckle and its by-products are known to have great medicinal benefits. Used in traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years.
Use – Sometimes applied to the skin for inflammation and itching, and to kill germs. An infusion of the flower buds has been used in the treatment of syphilis, tumors, bacterial dysentery, colds, and enteritis.
Harm – Might slow blood clotting and increase the chances of bruising and bleeding.
Vermont Invasive Species Project – Thetford 