HONING IN ON HONEYSUCKLE
Copyright © 2006
Barbara Brock
On previous years' mid-April through May and on into June walks in Camano Island 's two State Parks, some beachside, I've noticed and marveled at a magnificent blooming native plant: Orange Honeysuckle.
And Orange Honeysuckle-Lonicera ciliosa-is for sure nothing less than a major eye catcher. It's a climber-has twisting, woody vines which are in evidence in more open forest areas-woodland borders-vines that always remind me of climbing plants I've seen in warmer climes-like the Central American countries of Belize or Costa Rica.
The "orange ones" can be widely branching affairs-climbing/ascending surrounding trees and shrubs-reaching heights of 15, 20, some say even 30 feet. Such mature vines are so hardy and can so closely clasp their supportive trees that they can become imbedded in the supporter's wood-at times killing same. Not too surprisingly, native peoples found these vines useful for lashing and binding.
Sporting leaves that are oval and opposite-a darker green above-silvery, glaucousy, waxy appearing beneath--Orange Honeysuckles' leaves are also unique in that the end pair on each twig join together to form a disc or small cup-like enclosure just below the flower cluster, making it appear that the stem goes through the center of a single leaf.
And as alluded to previously, in flowering mode they are simply spectacular-unqualified stunners. As their name implies, the blooms are orange to orange-yellow-some more reddish-and trumpet-shaped, as their narrow petals are 1-1 1/2" long and fused a goodly portion of their length. They're actually conveniently shaped much like a Rufous Hummingbird's bill. Convenient, as the hummingbirds will be attracted by the plants' visual appearance, and, Voila!-a sugary substance is found at the base of the flowers which keeps 'em coming back! A boon for the plants as well, as these hummers are their sole pollinators.
You're absolutely right if you've thought Orange Honeysuckle would be a delightful addition to partially sunny spots in native plant/natural gardens. But one should keep in mind that although the plants' bright red-orange clustered sweet berries that develop later in the season are considered sweet and edible by some berry harvesters-others consider them inedible-in fact, somewhat toxic to humans. So minimally, perhaps they should not be within young children's reach.
Seems in years past Montana's Flathead Indian women boiled the honeysuckles' stems to extract a shampoo they felt made their hair grow healthier, shinier and longer. And centuries ago too, the Greeks used honeysuckles frequently in addition to laurel in furniture décor motifs. Incorporating in their artwork various flowers to symbolize thoughts and feelings, honeysuckles, it is said, represented friendliness.
So, friendly native plant devotees, during the spring months when we see them out and about on our islands, lets unite in praise of Orange Honeysuckles-consider including them in our native plant gardens!
Pat Nash
Beach Watcher
Class of '94