# Are honeysuckle berries edible?



## flutemandolin (Aug 13, 2003)

Just curious. I have a bunch of them at the edge of my woods and I didn't put two and two together and figure out what they were until today!


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## mistletoad (Apr 17, 2003)

Some honeysuckles have poisonous berries and some do not. Red tartarian (pinkish flowers and orange/red berries) is def. poisonous, as is Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle with the yellowish flowers and black berries). I have no idea which ones are not considered poisonous.


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## flutemandolin (Aug 13, 2003)

Yeah, it's hard to get info on them from a search engine because there are conflicting reports; I even found a recipe for honeysuckle jelly! I'm not sure what species these are, but they are definitely not Japanese. They might be Morrow's honeysuckle. 

I found one interesting bit of info; apparently where cedar waxwings consume large quantities of them the tips of their tail feathers turn from yellow to orange because of pigments in the berries!


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

The bush honeysuckle with big blue berries is edible. I wouldn't take a chance with the vine honeysuckle. Just leave them for bird food.


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