The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

As a kid, there were these flowers that had almost like an extra stem {but it wasn't a stem} and we would clip off like a mm of that bit with our fingernails and then suck on it and it had this really sweet yummy taste. We always called them honeysuckles but I looked them up on google and the pictures of honeysuckles are definitely not what these were. After some more research, I came across pictures of Nasturtium..The funnel shaped tube at the back of these is the same as the one on the flower I am talking about however, these flowers are not the ones I am after either. They were a very light pink/whitey colour and the petals were much more rounded in individual shape and although they felt nice they were tougher than the Nasturtium petals look. It is possible these flowers were weeds as they grew on vines {I think}. I was about 7 so it was a long time ago. All my friends remember them too but they also called them honeysuckles. Does anyone know what they actually were?

I can remember doing the same thing. The plant is Japanese honeysuckle Lonicera japonica). It was commonly planted around outside toilets (particularly long-drops)so that the scent from the flowers disguised other smells. Birds eat the fruit and spread the seed and in some areas the plant has become quite a serious weed.

I can remember doing the same thing. The plant is Japanese honeysuckle Lonicera japonica). It was commonly planted around outside toilets (particularly long-drops)so that the scent from the flowers disguised other smells. Birds eat the fruit and spread the seed and in some areas the plant has become quite a serious weed.

Hi John,
Thanks for your reply. However, I have looked this up on google images and it is definitely not the flower I am talking about :(

Hi Lucia,
Its possibly Jasmine which also used to do this as a kid with along with a plant we or is called smoke or cigarette plant, with small orange trumpet like flowers. I imagine it is no longer sold as this

Hi Nick,
We had Jasmine plants and although they smell beeeeeautiful, this wasn't them either. Thank you for your reply though :)

How about Ginger (hedychium spp.)? I still enjoy sucking ginger nectar out of flowers

Have you considered Watsonia? I used to drink the nectar for the flowers of plants of this genus as a kid - now I more prefer to pull the plants out!

I found some!! They don't come from a vine so I was a little wrong but it was almost 20 years ago. These are the flowers I am talking about. Does anyone know what they are called?? :)