Lonicera villosa aka Mountain Fly Honeysuckle

Lonicera villosa is a shrub from northern North America. It is deciduous, which means it sheds its leaves with the seasons. Its common names include mountain fly honeysuckle and Fuller's honeysuckle. It belongs to the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae. Kew gives its native range as eastern Canada and the northeastern United States. It grows in a temperate climate. The RHS does not list it as native to Britain or Ireland.

Plants For A Future gives more detail on its range. In Canada, it lists Ontario, Québec, and New Brunswick. It also lists Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Newfoundland and Labrador appear too. In the United States, records span New England. They include Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. They also include Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. The list names New York, Pennsylvania, and Michigan too. It also names Wisconsin and Minnesota. The Ohio record comes from Ashtabula County.

The species account gives a height of about 5 feet [1.5 metres]. This plant grows as a shrub, not a climbing honeysuckle. The supplied evidence gives no width for a full-grown plant. It gives no details on bark, stems, or leaf shape. The RHS page covers flowers and fruit across the genus. Those notes do not tell us this species' flower shape or colour. The species summary does state that its berries are blue.

You can eat the fruit fresh or preserve it. Plants For A Future describes a honeysuckle flavour that is mild by comparison. Yet the berries still taste bitter when fully ripe. This matters when you choose fruit to eat fresh. The account puts more weight on cooked or prepared fruit. Uses include jam, jelly, and drinks made from the fruit. It also lists this species for use in food forests. The evidence supports eating the fruit, not leaves or other parts. It does not show that all plant parts are safe.

Plants For A Future lists USDA hardiness zones 3–9. The supplied species notes give no firm soil or watering guidance. They give no pest or disease details for this species. More detailed growing notes cover a distinct named taxon, Lonicera villosa solonis. Those notes cannot set out care needs for this species. Here, the evidence supports its garden value as a shrub with edible blue fruit.