Lonicera caerulea   Honeyberry 

Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Dipsacales
Family:	Caprifoliaceae
Genus:	Lonicera
Species:	L. caerulea

Lonicera caerulea (Blue-berried Honeysuckle or Sweetberry Honeysuckle) is a honeysuckle native throughout the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere.
It is a deciduous shrub growing to 1.5–2 m tall. The leaves are opposite, oval, 3–8 cm long and 1–3 cm broad, glaucous green, with a slightly waxy texture. The flowers are yellowish-white, 12–16 mm long, with five equal lobes; they are produced in pairs on the shoots. The fruit is a blue berry about 1 cm in diameter.

Lonicera berry diversity

• Haskap: an ancient Japanese name of the Ainu people (also spelled phonetically as Haskappu, Hascap, Hascup) but still used today in Japan and in North America.
• Blue Honeysuckle: descriptive translation from Russia.
• Honeyberry: coined by Jim Gilbert of One Green World Nursery, Oregon, and fairly common in North America.
• Sweet Berry Honeysuckle: an old common name from the 1940s.
• Swamp fly honeysuckle: a common name coined by botanists who found it growing in swampy areas.
• Known in Russia as "Жимолость съедобная" ("Edible Honeysuckle").^[1]

Distribution and habitat

The species is circumpolar, primarily found in or near wetlands of boreal forests in heavy peat soils. However, it can also be found in high calcium soils, in mountains, and along the northeast coasts of Asia and North America. Interestingly, it is absent on west coasts. It has not been found in Norway nor Alaska nor British Columbia.^[1]

Cultivation and uses

Russia has the longest history of collecting from the wild and breeding this crop. L. c. var. edulis has been used the most in their^[who?] breeding efforts but other varieties have been bred with it to increase productivity and flavour. In Japan (Hokkaido Island) and in the Oregon State University Haskap breeding programs, L.c. var. emphyllocalyx has been the dominant variety used.^[2] The University of Saskatchewan Breeding Program in Canada is also emphasizing L.c. var. emphyllocalyx but is also hybridizing with Russian varieties and L.c. var. villosa.^[3]