What is this plant and are the berries edible?

allenwrench · Intermediate Crude Joined: Apr 23, 2008 Posts: 893

Was driving in WV and there were tons of these bushes along the roadside. What is this plant and are the berries edible?

vox_mundi · Tar Sands Joined: Sep 27, 2006 Posts: 20

Short answer. Don't eat it. Very astringent, inedible.

The plant is called Tartarian honeysuckle Lonerica tatarica L.

Plant Description is at:
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/invasives/fact/honeysuckle_tart.htm or
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=LOTA

from: http://www.foragersharvest.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1&Itemid=2

... I've have tasted almost every toxic or inedible berry that grows wild in Wisconsin: Tartarian honeysuckle, mountain holly, bittersweet, red elder, bittersweet nightshade, Virginia creeper, winterberry, arrowwood, gray dogwood, Canada moonseed, and common buckthorn, to name a few. They range in flavor from horrible to even worse.

gnm

The leaves/stems look a bit like a serviceberry as well... But the fruit is usually more purple on those.

-G
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vox_mundi · Tar Sands Joined: Sep 27, 2006 Posts: 20

Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.) leaves are alternate and the berries are on longer stems with remains of the flower on the end. I've got 4 in the backyard (Regent, Smokey, Pembina, and Autumn Brillance) along with the honeysuckle and about 95 other edible trees, shrubs, and plants.

I'm afraid the plant in the picture will make you sick. Guaranteed. Crying or Very sad

allenwrench · Intermediate Crude Joined: Apr 23, 2008 Posts: 893

Thanks.

Too bad. There are miles of em.

BTW, how did you guys learn so much about plants for foraging?

allenwrench · Intermediate Crude Joined: Apr 23, 2008 Posts: 893

CarlinsDarlin · Moderator Joined: Jul 02, 2004 Posts: 1420

Good taste doesn't necessarily equal edible... might taste good and still be poisonous?

oowolf

A few of the 140 or so Lonicera species are edible (Honeyberry-L. caerulea- is one example). But this is not a genus for beginners to experiment with.

gnm

Jenab6

It's some kind of honeysuckle. Those berries aren't horrible tasting. They are probably even mildly sweet, if you have a sensitive tongue for sweet. But they aren't so sweet that they are worth eating, and they might be mildly toxic. I've eaten a few of them experimentally, and they aren't worth a hoot as an edible fruit.

There's supposed to be a different strain of honeysuckle (Northern Fly) that has blue colored berries, which are said to be safe and sweeter than the red ones. I haven't found this kind yet. I'm in West Virginia and have those red berried ones too.