Lonicera caprifolium

Genuine honeysuckle ( Lonicera caprifolium )

(English: Italian Honeysuckle, Honeysuckle Perfoliate ) The honeysuckle ( Lonicera caprifolium ), also Genuine honeysuckle, Fragrant Honeysuckle or Honeysuckle called, is a flowering plant in the family of the Honeysuckle family ( Caprifoliaceae ).

• 8.1 Notes and references

Description

The Real honeysuckle is quite overcome, deciduous, woody climbing vine ( liana ), which can be two feet tall. Find them and so a climbing aid as small trees, bushes, pillars, gates, fences, so they can reach a height of six to ten meters and a width of up to three meters. The hollow branches have a first protruding hairy, balding later, frosted whitish bark. The simple, green, against constantly arranged leaves are ovate to obovate and four to eight - rare to ten - inches long. The upper leaves have no stalk and are pairwise grown together on the branch.

Each flower head can consist of up to twelve flowers. The bracts are fused in pairs. The hermaphrodite, fivefold, trumpet-shaped flowers are yellowish to white and often reddish crowded. The numerous flowers exude from May to July in the evening a strong, fragrant, sweet smell. After the bursting of the elongated red tubes, the creamy white stamens and the style to be released. There are only five stamens present. The pollen is yellow in color. Pollination is by insects. The flowering period extends from May to July.

As of late summer, the coral, pea-sized, slightly poisonous berries appear ( about eight millimeters in size ) that hang long and non-toxic as bird food serving ( digestive propagation ).

Ecology

The nectar- rich flowers are visited by moths, Skabiosenschwärmer et al.

By overgrowth of wrapping around shoots of honeysuckle by the tree or shrub shrubs and trees can be damaged because the structure of the branches is unstable, which can lead to death.

Occurrence

Spreading the honeysuckle is today in most of Europe, the Caucasus and Asia Minor as well as in the South American Andes. The Fragrant Honeysuckle is a popular ornamental plant in parks and gardens. It is found also wild in open woodland, hedgerows or on heathland, where it prefers calcareous soils. The root zone requires shady, cool and wet locations to be protected from drying out. The Real honeysuckle blooms only at sufficiently bright ( sunny or partially shaded ) sites.

Key Ingredients

Saponins, cyanogenic glycosides, alkaloids ( Xylostein, Xylostosidin ), flavonoids, phenolic compounds.

Use

Some varieties are used as undemanding ornamental plants.

The root extract of Gartengeißblattes was formerly used for dyeing blue.

In Medicine

The dried flowers act perspiration and diuretic, but are now no longer used, because an incorrect dosage may cause mild intoxication symptoms ( eg vomiting ). A decoction of the flowers was used in the former Celtic and Chinese herbal medicine to treat liver ailments and respiratory infections.

Language of origin

The English name Honeysuckle refers to the honeyed nectar. The name " Fragrant honeysuckle " refers to the intense fragrance of flowers, the name " honeysuckle " on the meter- long twining shoots of the plant.