Lonicera is a moderately large genus of ca. 200 species, mostly native to the northern hemisphere. Two are native in Belgium as well, Lonicera periclymenum L. and L. xylosteum L.
About half of the species of the genus are cultivated for ornament. Their fruits (berries) are much eaten by birds and therefore easily dispersed. In addition to the taxa treated in detail in this account several others possibly also occur as escapes from cultivation. Clement & Foster (1994) cite several additional species. A cultivar of native Lonicera periclymenum with corollas that are pinkish-purplish outside is increasingly found in the wild, for instance in coastal scrub in Koksijde since several years (pers. obs.). In 2011 it was also observed near Verviers (see: http://waarnemingen.be/waarneming/view/55955784). Such plants possibly belong with cv 'Belgica'.
Lonicera xylosteum is a rare and local native species. It is naturally confined to calcareous soils, especially in the area between rivers Meuse and Sambre in Wallonia. However, outside its native distribution range it is increasingly found as an escape from cultivation in many, widely scattered locations, primarily in Flanders (disused railway yards, seadunes, abandoned cemeteries,…) (see also Duvigneaud 1988).
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