Leycesteria formosa

19th August 2021

Leycesteria formosa

Himalayan honeysuckle or Pheasant berry is a tough and easily grown shrub native to China and Tibet, which is excellent for wildlife. It resembles bamboo with hollow green stems but has deciduous leaves, trailing inflorescences of purple bracts around white tubular flowers in summer, and dark purplish black fragrant berries in autumn. The flowers are a magnet for bees and the berries attract many species of bird, including blackbird and pheasant.