il Honeysuckle (Lonicera caprifolium) hija pjanta li tappartjeni għall-familja ta' Caprifoliaceae. The species under consideration is also known as common honeysuckle, Honeysuckle u idejn żgħar. il Lonicera caprifolium it is the honeysuckle most present spontaneously in our country and is also widely cultivated in gardens as an ornamental climbing plant. It lends itself very well to home cultivation as it is an extremely rustic and adaptable plant, which requires little care. In addition to these cultural advantages, this plant is sought after for the beauty and scent of its flowers. It is also important to know that it is rich in medicinal properties that can be easily exploited in home herbal medicine.

So let’s see everything there is to know about the common honeysuckle.

Regional names of the honeysuckle

As evidence of the common honeysuckle’s notoriety in popular culture, here are a number of colorful regional names by which it is known: caprifoegliu u man de san pietru fil-Ligurja, dent d’veja u ciuccialet fil-Piemonte, kokon u panadi de la madonna fil-Lombardija, ligabosco u banish them fil-Veneto, ua of san zuan fil-Friuli, caperfoj u flower of the cuckoo fl-Emilia, manciole in Umbria, cascicavalle u suck them fl-Abruzzo, mannicciola fil-Kampanja, deta de la madonna fil-Basilicata, caciocavallo fil-Puglia, sucarella u goatherd Fil-Kalabrija, lupa du boscu fi Sqallija, gualangin f’Sardinja.

Description of the honeysuckle plant

Honeysuckle
Lonicera caprifolium it is a shrubby, liana and climbing species. From the collar it emits woody and twining stems, up to 5 m long, which in nature climb and wrap themselves on other plants. They are very branched stems, thanks to the presence of numerous axillary buds, so much so that, in the upper part, the honeysuckle plant seems to form a bush. The young stems are also pubescent.

Weraq

The common honeysuckle is a deciduous shrub, meaning that it sheds during the winter months. The leaves, opposite two by two, are oval in shape. The color is bright green on the upper side, glaucous on the lower side. In the sterile branches they are petiolate. In the fertile branches, the lower ones have a short petiole, the middle ones are sessile and partially welded together, while the upper ones are completely welded, to form a single oval-shaped leaf crossed in the center by the stem.

fjuri

The flowers are a characteristic feature of the honeysuckle, as they are beautiful to look at, very numerous and above all fragrant. They are sessile and are found united in bundles of 6 elements placed in the center of the upper leaves. They have a pinkish-purple or white-yellowish corolla, tubular in shape, 3-4 cm long and divided at the mouth into 2 lips, of which the upper is divided into 4 lobes, while the lower is undivided.
The flowering of the honeysuckle occurs in spring and summer, from May to July. It is very popular with bees that get pollen and nectar, but also from butterflies.

Frott

Fruits of Honeysuckle
The fruits of the honeysuckle are not edible as toxic. They appear as small fleshy berries, oval-shaped and red-orange in color. Inside they contain few discoid seeds.
Fruiting takes place in autumn.

Kif tikber honeysuckle

Ħtiġijiet pedoklimatiċi

In nature the Lonicera caprifolium it grows spontaneously from sea level up to the submontane region (no more than 1,200 m of altitude). It prefers wooded areas, in combination with deciduous trees, with calcareous soils.
From these elements it can be deduced that the honeysuckle does not fear the winter cold, it loves bright positions, but not full sun. In the garden it is therefore best to grow it in partial shade. The growing medium should be of medium mixture ma neutral or sub-alkaline pHthen good universal soil amended with organic substance, such as earthworm humus or domestic compost.
The honeysuckle can also be grown in pots, but the containers must be large, in order to allow the normal development of the plant.

Other ornamental honeysuckles

Il-ġeneru lonicera includes over 200 botanical species. Many of these are grown for ornamental purposes in gardens. Among others, the most interesting in our opinion is the species lonicera japonicajew il- Honeysuckle Ġappuniżwhich is distinguished from the common honeysuckle for being an evergreen shrub with very white fragrant flowers, therefore pleasant even in winter, but not suitable for areas with too cold winters.

Growth media

As mentioned, honeysuckle is a climbing plant, which in nature grows at the expense of other larger plants. If we want to grow it in the garden we must therefore think of growth supports and exploit its characteristics. For example, it can be planted along a fence or gate to create a hedge, in front of a wall by providing sturdy supports and holds, for the creation of a pergola, arches, etc. They cannot be allowed to grow freely as the long stems would end up lying on the ground.
Also pay attention to the transplant density. The plant grows quickly and abundantly, covering large surfaces in a few years. For this it is not necessary to plant many specimens, one every 2-3 m is enough.

Multiplikazzjoni

To reproduce a honeysuckle plant you can use the tekniki tat-tqattigħ u ta ' offshoot. The honeysuckle cutting is done in late summer, choosing 15-20 cm long portions of semi-woody branches. The young cutting must be kept in a sheltered place during the winter and will be planted permanently in the following spring.
The offshoot is done in autumn and the new plant is left to grow next to the mother plant for a whole year.
Reproduction can also take place from seed (found here), but it is slower. Sowing is done in autumn in small containers and the plant left to grow in pots until the following autumn.

When to plant honeysuckle in the garden

It is very simple to plant honeysuckle after having bought a plant in the nursery. The best times for planting are two: autumn and the end of winter. Avoid late transplants in spring, as plants could easily go into water stress.

irrigazzjoni

Despite being a rustic plant, honeysuckle needs some water support, especially during the dry seasons of the first two years of life. Consider that it is a plant that naturally grows in wooded areas, therefore in humid environments.
If honeysuckle is grown in pots, irrigation must be even more frequent and regular.
To limit the plant’s demand for water, the mulch naturali bit-tibenwhich will be periodically renewed when the plant material runs out.

Żbir

The pruning of the honeysuckle is necessary to keep the plant in order and to favor a copious flowering. Without interventions, the plant tends to form layers of stems, of which the innermost ones do not take light, have sparse vegetation and do not bloom. With pruning cuts it thins out, back cuts are made to rejuvenate the branches, and the more tangled ones are untangled. Don’t worry about cutting too much as the plant reacts very well. The best time to prune honeysuckle is at the end of winter, before the vegetative restart.

Parassiti

The main enemies of honeysuckle plants in the garden are the afidi in the spring period. The aphids smear the vegetation with the release of honeydew and afterwards fumaggine. To eliminate them it is necessary to intervene promptly, at the first signs of infestation, by carrying out a treatment with soft potassium soap.

The collection of honeysuckle

As mentioned, the common honeysuckle is a plant which, in its flowers and leaves, has medicinal properties. The leaves are harvested from May to July, on dry days, by running your fingers along the stems. The flowers are picked just before flowering, in May-June, by cutting them off, preferably in the evening, with the whole petiole.
The leaves should be dried in the shade, removing them often, and kept in paper or canvas bags. The flowers are dried carefully in the shade and in a sheltered environment, they are kept in glass containers away from light.

Active ingredients and properties of honeysuckle

The main constituents of honeysuckle are: essential oil, tannins, salicylic acid, glycosides. From these active ingredients derive the following properties: bechiche, expectorant, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, astringent.

Indications on the use of flowers

The flowers of the honeysuckle have a specific action on disorders affecting the respiratory system. In fact, they are useful as emollients and expectorants in irritating coughs and catarrhal bronchitis. They also exert an antispasmodic action aimed at improving breathing in asthmatics, calming hiccups, reducing neuralgia and inflammatory symptoms characteristic of colds and flu. In this sense, the herbal tea with honeysuckle flowers (which is quite pleasant) can be used as a comfort drink using 3 g in 100 ml of water.

Indications on the use of the leaves

The leaves of the honeysuckle instead have external use and are useful as astringent, healing and anti-inflammatory. In fact, they are used in all irritations of the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat, especially where small ulcers appear, characteristic of inflamed mucous membranes. In this case, a decoction is prepared with 5 g of dry leaves in 100 ml of water, to be used to rinse and gargle several times a day.
Finally, the cosmetic use of honeysuckle is appreciable. Masks and lotions, prepared with an infusion of leaves and flowers in equal parts, have a good tonic-astringent action on the skin, especially of the fatty type.

Let's talk about "Honeysuckle (Lonicera caprifolium). Cultivation and medicinal properties" with our community!
Ibda Thread ġdid

Philip Owell

Blogger professjonali, hawn biex iġiblek kontenut ġdid u interessanti kull darba li żżur il-blog tagħna.