Lonicera involucrata
| Lonicera involucrata | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 4' |
| Speed: | Moderate |
| Blooms: | Late Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Lonicera involucrata (common name: twinberry)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Stored seed requires 2 months cold stratification[1] and should be sown as soon as possible in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 7 - 10cm with or without a heel, July/August in a frame. Good percentage[2].
Cuttings of mature wood of the current season's growth, 15 - 20cm with or without a heel, November in a cold frame. Good percentage[2].
Layering in autumn[3].
Cultivation: An easily grown and very tolerant plant, succeeding in any fertile soil, and preferring a good moist soil in a sunny position[4][3]. It produces less fruit when grown in the shade[3]. Plants have proved to be quite wind resistant when growing on an exposed site in Cornwall[K].
Plants are hardy to about -25°c[5].
Closely allied to L. ledebourii[4].
There are some named forms, developed for the ornamental garden[6]. 'Humilis' is a smaller form and 'Serotina' is later flowering[6].
Range: Western N. America - Alaska to Mexico.
Habitat: Calcareous woods, banks of streams and swamps[7] and in open coniferous forests[8], usually on limestone[5].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or dried[9][10][11][8]. A pleasant taste[12]. Not tasty enough to be widely sought[13]. The only form we have tried has an incredibly bitter taste[K]. The fruit is about 8mm in diameter[3].
Medicinal: Twinberry was employed medicinally by a number of native North American Indian tribes who used it to treat a range of complaints[14]. It is little, if at all, used in modern herbalism.
The bark is disinfectant, galactogogue, ophthalmic and pectoral[14]. A decoction is used in the treatment of coughs and as an eyewash[14]. A decoction of the bark has been applied to a woman's breasts to encourage milk flow[14]. The bark has also been used as a dressing on burns[14].
The leaves are antipruritic and ophthalmic[14]. A poultice of the chewed leaves is applied to venereal sores, itchy skin and boils[15][14]. A decoction of the leaves is used as an eye wash[14].
The fruits are antidandruff, emetic, laxative and pectoral[15][14]. An infusion is used to treat chest and stomach complaints and to cleanse the body[14]. The mashed fruit has been rubbed into the scalp as a treatment for dandruff.
Usage: A purple dye is obtained from the fruit[16][14]. It is grey when tin is used as a mordant[17].
The berries are rubbed onto the scalp as a hair tonic. It is said to prevent greyness[16]. (don't mix the berries with tin though!![K])
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Wind: Tolerates strong winds
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: Xylosteum involucratum.
Links
References
- ↑ Dirr, Michael and Charles Heuser. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press, 1987.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Shrubs. Pan Books, 1989.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Arnberger, Leslie. Flowers of the Southwest Mountains. Southwestern Monuments, 1968.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Frohne, Dietrich and Hans Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Timber Press, 1984.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ Davis, Ray and Frank Craighead. A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers. The Riverside Press, 1963.
- ↑ 14.00 14.01 14.02 14.03 14.04 14.05 14.06 14.07 14.08 14.09 14.10 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Turner, Nancy. Plants in British Columbian Indian Technology. British Columbia Provincial Museum, 1979.
- ↑ Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.