Side by side
Highbush blueberry or honeyberry? How to tell them apart
Vaccinium corymbosum · Lonicera caerulea
How to tell them apart – highbush blueberry: alternate leaves, white bells in clusters and round berries, only on acid soil; honeyberry: low shrub with opposite, untoothed leaves, yellowish-white flowers in March and elongated blue berries as early as May–June.
How do you recognise them?
- Highbush blueberry
- Shrub with oval leaves, white bell-shaped flowers and blue berries with a bloom; only on acid soil.
- Compared with honeyberry: alternate leaves, white bells in clusters and round berries; only on acid soil.
- Honeyberry
- Low shrub with opposite, untoothed leaves, yellowish-white flowers in March and elongated blue berries as early as May–June.
| Highbush blueberry | Honeyberry | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Alternate, oval, 3–8 cm, untoothed or finely toothed; glorious red autumn colour. | Opposite, oblong-elliptic, 3–8 cm, untoothed, dull green and slightly hairy. |
| Flowering | White to pink bells in clusters, April–May (April–May). | Yellowish-white, funnel-shaped flowers (1–1.5 cm) in pairs in the leaf axils, March–April; they tolerate some frost (March–April). |
| Fruit | Blue berries with a waxy bloom in July–August. | Elongated, blue berries with a waxy bloom (1–3 cm), May–June; sweet-sour, a little like blueberries. |
| Bark | Green to red twigs with small warts. | Reddish-brown, peeling in long strips. |
| Shape and height | Shrub, 1–2 m | Shrub, 1–2 m |
| Site | Full sun, acid soil, moist to wet | Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, normal |
| Native to Belgium | No, naturalised | No, planted |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | Yes, for bees and birds | – |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | January–March | July and November–February |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Choose what suits your soil, your light and the space you have: see the growing conditions in the table.
Read on
- Plant profile: Highbush blueberry
- Plant profile: Honeyberry
- Highbush blueberry: when and how to prune
- Honeyberry: when and how to prune
- Identification key
Also looks like
Identify by feature
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.