Leycesteria formosa, the Himalayan Honeysuckle

Himalayan honeysuckle is a weird plant, at least compared to most of the fruit we eat. It’s a very handsome plant, with cane-like stems that droop down and hold pretty white flowers that are loved by bees. The berries that follow the flowers are what makes the plant unusual, at least in my eyes, as they have a burnt sugar taste that is unlike any other fruit I have ever eaten in my life.

The plant seems to grow best in USDA zones 7-9, though this could be extended probably a zone lower with good protection and the plant can probably do fine in higher zones if the summers aren’t too hot. It appreciates an acidic soil with plenty of moisture and seeds don’t like to germinate in drier soils, but I suspect with a bit of help they can become established in many soil types. Once established, they can withstand drought pretty well.

I tasted it for the first time at a local nursery, where the pendulous clusters of purplish berries dangled in the dozens like fleshy lanterns. The berries ripen one after the other, making getting a good harvest a pain, but I was able to find a soft and dark one that caused an explosion of burnt sugar in my mouth. I knew right then and there that I needed Leycesteria in my life. I brought home two plants, stuck them in the ground, and basically ignored them for a few months.

Himalayan honeysuckle is, I learned, somewhat deciduous and grows at a shocking pace. My plants have had a rough year, as I planted them in early October just before our frosts started coming. They lost almost all their leaves and sulked for a few weeks, perhaps due to cold or transplant shock. Some deer came by and took the tops off of one of my young plants (December) but by now (the end of January) the canes have one new bud at each node and the plant seems to be gearing up to take over the world.

I’m hoping to enjoy loads of caramel/cocoa/burnt sugar berries next year, and it seems like the plants are not going to disappoint. I plan on using them in smoothies, cookies, muffins, and as a meat marinade and will update later if anything is particularly tasty.

This plant has a dark side, however, in that it can be a real bully. It grows rapidly and can be a nasty invasive, depending on environmental conditions. Birds enjoy the fruit and can thus disperse the plant, which can then start popping up in all kinds of convenient places. This is only an issue in some places, however, and luckily Oregon does not seem to be one of them.

In my situation, however, toughness is a virtue and thus I planted one in my hellstrip, probably the nastiest place in the garden, and the other in a bright corner. Both seem to be doing well and look forward to seeing them grow and produce fruit.