Gold-and-Silver Flower, Japanese Honeysuckle Lonicera japonica
Description:
The Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) is a species of honeysuckle native to eastern Asia including China (northern and eastern P.R.China and Taiwan), Japan, and Korea. It is a twining vine able to climb up to 10 metres (33 ft) high or more in trees, with opposite, simple oval leaves 3â8 centimetres (1.2â3.1 in) long and 2â3 centimetres (0.79â1.2 in) broad. The flowers are double-tongued, opening white and fading to yellow, and sweetly vanilla scented. The fruit is a dark blue berry 5â8 millimetres (0.20â0.31 in) diameter containing numerous seeds. The Japanese Honeysuckle flower is of high medicinal value in traditional Chinese medicine, where it is called rÄn dÅng téng (Chinese: å¿å¬è¤; literally “winter enduring vine”) or jÄ«n yÃn huÄ (Chinese: ééè±; literally “gold silver flower”). It has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, and is used (often in combination with Forsythia suspensa) to dispel heat and remove toxins, including carbuncles, fevers, influenza and ulcers.
Growing Info:
Scarification:Soak in water, let stand in water for 24 hours.
Stratification:cold stratify for 60 days.
Germination:sow seed 1/16″ deep, tamp the soil, mulch the seed bed.
Other: Cold Stratify from 30 to 90 days.