Relatives

Lonicera kamtschatica (Sevast.) Pojark. - Kamchatka honeysuckle

Taxonomic position.

Family Caprifoliaceae Juss., genus Lonicera L

Synonyms.

L. caerulea subsp. kamtschatica (Sevast.) Gladkova, L. caerulea var. kamtschatica Sevast.

Morphology and biology.

Deciduous shrub, up to 2 m tall. Old branches have brownish grey, often exfoliating bark. Young shoots and leaves are densely pubescent. Leaves vary in shape: oblong-ovate, elliptical or broadly lanceolate, sharp or roundish-acuminate at the top, 2-6 cm long and 1-3 cm wide. Flowers are set in pairs in the axils of lower leaves. Corolla is tubular funnel-shaped, cream-colored or yellow. Stamens are shorter than the corolla. Compound fruit are elongated, 7-14 mm long, dark blue with glaucous bloom, edible, tasting sweet or sour-sweet, almost free from bitter flavor. Blossoms in May; berries ripen in late June and July. Ripe fruit sometimes remains on the plants until late autumn. Entomophilous. 2n=36.

Distribution.

Occurs throughout the Far East (Magadan Province, Kamchatka Peninsula, Sakhalin, Kuril Islands).

Ecology.

Mesophyte. Occurs in forests, among prostrate cedars and birch thickets, on stony slide-rocks, and on coastal terraces as high as the upper mountain zone.

Utilization and economic value.

For food, either fresh or processed (kissels, juices and jams). Exceptional fruit plant, long ago domesticated. Most frequently used in breeding practice owing to such qualities as sour-sweet dessert flavor, pleasant aroma, large fruit size, non-shedding during ripening, and good transportability of berries.

References:

Brezhnev D.D., Korovina O.N. 1981. Wild relatives of cultivated plants in the flora of the USSR. Leningrad: Kolos, 375 pp. (in Russian).
Plekhanova M.N. 1998. Blue honeysuckle in garden and nursery. Leningrad: Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry, 66 p. (in Russian).
Plekhanova M.N., Solovyeva L.V., Mochalova O.V. 1992. Chromosome numbers and distribution area of Lonicera subsect. Caeruleae (Caprifoliaceae). Botanical Journal, Vol. 7, No. 9, pp. 1-11. (in Russian).

© I.G. Chukhina