Black Twinberry

$4.25

Lonicera involucrata
(also known as Bracted honeysuckle, Involucred honeysuckle, Bearberry honeysuckle, Californian honeysuckle)

zones 2-5
25 seeds

Black Twinberry is the larger of the Lonicera species, reaching heights up to 8 feet tall. Yellow flowers appear in pairs in spring, enclosed in an involucre of leafy bracts which enlarge and turn red as the berries ripen. Berries ripen by late summer in pairs and are glossy black. Berries are edible, though not particularly tasty.

Black Twinberry seeds are best sown in a cold frame in autumn. The seeds have a hard seed coat and scarification with sulfuric acid for 20-30 minutes followed by 2-3 months of cold stratification will help the embryo to develop. Place the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. If sufficient growth is made by the summer, it is possible to plant them out, otherwise grow them in a cold frame for the first winter and plant the following spring after the last projected frost.

Lonicera involucrata
(also known as Bracted honeysuckle, Involucred honeysuckle, Bearberry honeysuckle, Californian honeysuckle)

zones 2-5
25 seeds

Black Twinberry is the larger of the Lonicera species, reaching heights up to 8 feet tall. Yellow flowers appear in pairs in spring, enclosed in an involucre of leafy bracts which enlarge and turn red as the berries ripen. Berries ripen by late summer in pairs and are glossy black. Berries are edible, though not particularly tasty.

Black Twinberry seeds are best sown in a cold frame in autumn. The seeds have a hard seed coat and scarification with sulfuric acid for 20-30 minutes followed by 2-3 months of cold stratification will help the embryo to develop. Place the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. If sufficient growth is made by the summer, it is possible to plant them out, otherwise grow them in a cold frame for the first winter and plant the following spring after the last projected frost.