Plant-Lore

Collecting the folklore and uses of plants

Wilson’s honeysuckle

1.  Lonicera nitida –  a common hedge plant here and naturalized in many places.  Often just called hedge, and, erroneously, privet [Ligustrum ovalifolium].  A friend of mine in Kilrush, Co. Clare, said that as a child she called it pea-bush, probably because of stripping the leaves from the stems (like peas from a pod) by pulling through the fingers.  The dense growth of old bushes also provided a natural cushion for diving into and bouncing around on as childhood stuntmen [Clonlara,Co. Clare, September 1997].

Image:  cultivated, Brixton, London Borough of Lambeth, November 2019.