Twinberry Honeysuckle

Scientific Name: Lonicera involucrata (Richardson) Banks ex Spreng.

Twinberry Honeysuckle

General Information
Usda Symbol	LOIN5
Group	Dicot
Life Cycle	Perennial
Growth Habits	Shrub
Native Locations	LOIN5

Plant Guide

Alternative Names

twinberry, black twin-berry, four-line honeysuckle, bearberry honeysuckle

Uses

Warning: Twinberry honeysuckle is considered toxic and should be used with caution. Ethnobotanic: The Quileute and Kwakwaka’wakw people used these berries as a black pigment (Pojar & MacKinnon 1994). The Haida rubbed the berries on the scalp to prevent hair from turning gray (Ibid.). A decoction of the bark has been applied to a woman’s breasts to encourage milk flow (Moerman 1998). An infusion was used to treat chest and stomach complaints and to cleanse the body (Ibid.). The Carrier boiled the leaves and used the liquid to bathe sore eyes, or applied the crushed leaves as a poultice to open sores (Pojar & MacKinnon 1994).

Status

Please consult the Plants Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status, such as, state noxious status and wetland indicator values.

Description

General: Honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae). Twinberry honeysuckle (Lonicera involucrata) is an erect clustered shrub one to three meters high with freely exfoliating bark (Peck 1961). The leaves are opposite, short-stemmed, somewhat elliptical to broadly lanced shaped, pointed often hairy beneath (Pojar & MacKinnon 1994). The flowers are yellow, tinged with red, and cupped by a large pair of green to purplish bracts. The fruits are roundish or oval, blackish berries, paired on long axillary stalks and distinct; ripening August or September (Grimm 1993). Alfred Brousseau © Saint Mary's College of California @CalPhotos Distribution: Lonicera involcrata is widely distributed across North America from Quebec westward to Alaska and British Columbia and southward into California, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona (McMinn 1939). For current distribution, please consult the Plant profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site.

Adaptation

Twinberry honeysuckle is typically found in moist forests, clearings, riparian habitats, swamps and thickets (MacKinnon, Pojar & Coupe′ 1992). It prefers a good moist soil but can succeed in any fertile soil. This species grows best and produces abundance of fruit in open sunlight compared to a lost of fruit when grown in the shade.

Establishment

Propagation by Seed: Lonicera involucrata seeds should be collected from isolated plants and extracted by maceration in water (Dirr & Heuser 1987). Sow the seeds as soon as they are ripe in a cold frame. When the seedlings are large enough, plant them directly into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer.

Management

Twinberry honeysuckle berries has been noted as poisonous, Use soil moisture sensors to measure the soil moisture of Twinberry Honeysuckle., The fruit is bitter and sour and are eaten by some, Since the European species of honeysuckle species are regarded as emetic and cathartic, they are better avoided in favor of something less dubious (Mozingo 1987), Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin) Somewhat available from native plant nurseries, Contact your local Natural Resources

Conservation

Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service) office for more information. Look in the phone book under ”United States Government.” The Natural Resources Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading “Department of Agriculture.”

Fact Sheet

Alternate Names

Common alternative names: Black twinberry, twinberry, bearberry honeysuckle, bush honeysuckle, bracted honeysuckle Scientific alternative names: Lonicera involucrata var. involucrata, Distegia involucrata, and Xylosteum involucratum.

Uses

Conservation- Twinberry honeysuckle is a valuable shrub for streambank erosion control and restoration of riparian areas, swamps, bogs, moist woodlands, scrub-shrub wetlands, and sandy coastal areas within its native range. Winter dormant branches are useful as live stakes, fascines, and other soil bioengineering practices for stabilizing streambanks, moist slopes, and the immediate shoreline of lakes or ponds. The species is also used in hedgerows and pollution resistant wind shelters. Wildlife - The berries are eaten by bears, small mammals, game birds including quail and grouse, and songbirds such as thrushes. The flower is a source of nectar for hummingbirds and butterflies. The plant is host for the larva of certain butterflies including Gillett’s checkermallow. Value as general wildlife cover is high, but as browse its desirability is rated low for most large game animals. However, elk, moose, mountain goats, and deer are reported to utilize the leaves or twigs in some areas. The species is rated as poor forage for domestic cattle and fair for sheep. Ethnobotanic – Reports on the fruit vary from poisonous, to mildly toxic, to bitter and unpalatable, to edible and useful as food, depending on tribe, region or publication. The berry was used as a source of dye. Medicinal uses were many and varied among tribes. These included the leaves, berries or bark as a decoction, infusion, or poultice for sores, body cleansing, swellings, dandruff, wounds, infections, sore throats, paralysis, coughs, burns, itches, venereal diseases, boils, stomach troubles, pains of the legs or feet, arthritis, and sore eyes. Sometimes the leaves or bark were simply chewed for treating ailments or used as a ceremonial emetic (i.e. to induce vomiting).

Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status (e.g., threatened or endangered species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

Description and Adaptation

Adaptation

Adaptation

Twinberry honeysuckle (family: Caprifoliaceae) is an upright deciduous shrub that grows up to 12 (16) ft tall. The leaves are in opposite pairs, egg or broadly lance shaped, pointed, and often hairy beneath. The flowers are tubular, in pairs, and yellow (except for the orange-red tinted flowers for the coastal variety ledebourii). The double or “twin” shiny black berries that ripen in July or later are cupped by prominent purple-red colored bracts. Figure 2. Stem, leaves, fruit, and flower of twinberry honeysuckle. Reprinted with permission, University of Washington Press.