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Honeysuckle · Lonicera periclymenum Photo: Bob Harvey · CC BY-SA 2.0 ↗
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ClimbersWild and cultivated

Lonicera periclymenum

Honeysuckle

Creamy tubular flowers, ageing yellow, twine through hedges and often scent warm evenings.

See all four seasons Explore fruits, seeds & edibility ↓ Where to look & how to find it ↓

Some plants are poisonous. Do not identify by a photograph alone, and never taste them.

FIELDCRAFT · FIND WITH CARE

Finding guide

Season first

Choose the season, find the habitat, then watch patiently. Search guidance is not a measure of rarity or conservation status.

When to go
Often flowers June–October, with conspicuous autumn fruits.
Where to start
Irish hedgerows and garden boundaries. Check both the twining habit and flower structure.
What to do when you arrive
In summer, look along hedges for twining stems and long tubular flowers, adding fruit observations in autumn. Garden honeysuckles vary; scent alone is insufficient.

Habitat and behaviour reference: Wildflowers of Ireland ↗ · The practical steps are editorial advice based on the references, not live sightings.

ONE PLANT · FOUR SEASONS

One plant. Four seasons.

Look beyond the flowers: fresh leaves, fruits, bare stems and dormancy.

Meteorological seasons: spring March–May, summer June–August, autumn September–November and winter December–February. Irish weather, cultivar, pruning and plant age affect timing and appearance.

Photos illustrate the relevant feature, not the same plant photographed through a year in Ireland. Features shared across seasons, such as evergreen leaves, may use the same reference. Missing reliable photos are marked; dormancy is not death.

Seasonal references: Wildflowers of Ireland ↗ · Photo resized, converted to JPEG and stripped of metadata.

FRUIT · SEED · FOOD SAFETY

Fruits, seeds & edibility

Know the structure, then the part. Recognising a plant does not make it food.

02

Seeds & dispersal units

Verified close-up not yet available

Refer to the description below until a suitable photo is verified; flowers or other species are not substituted.

Each berry can contain several small flattened seeds; this is not the species sold as edible honeyberry.

Food use of this part
Do not eat

Some seed references show intact one-seeded fruits or dispersal units, as identified in their captions. A whole-fruit photo is not a close-up of the enclosed seed. Cones and arils are not true fruits of flowering plants.

Sources & limitations

No field detoxification methods or safe doses are provided. Never taste a plant to identify it or eat treated or contaminated specimens. Seek professional help after suspected accidental ingestion. National Poisons Information Centre, Ireland ↗

Photo resized, converted to JPEG and stripped of metadata.

BOTANICAL NOTESPlant notes
01

How to identify it

Woody twining stems, opposite leaves and clusters of long two-lipped flowers, sometimes reddish outside; red fruits follow.

02

Where it grows

Woodland edges, hedges and scrub, also garden supports.

03

Growth and ecology

A deciduous woody climber visited by bees and moths. Other cultivated honeysuckles differ; do not eat the fruits.

04

Flowering and seasons

Often flowers June–October, with conspicuous autumn fruits.

05

Where to look

Irish hedgerows and garden boundaries. Check both the twining habit and flower structure.

Seasons vary with weather and location. Suggested habitats are places to look, not guaranteed sightings. Photos show only some features; check leaves, flowers, fruits and specialist references together.

Further reading:Wildflowers of Ireland ↗

Photo license: Bob Harvey · CC BY-SA 2.0 ↗ · License terms ↗
Photo resized, converted to JPEG and stripped of metadata.

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