The plain green form of Lonicera nitida does produce berries of that colour Sbg.

Now then what is the really small lonicera that produses white flowers and black berries. The leaves of this are a good twice the size. I thought the small one was nitida, or is it just a different variety.
thanks for the name though. it is a really eye catching berry.

There is an evergreen climbing Lonicera which produces purple/black berries, but not the colour you describe, L. alseuosmoides.

The one you might be thinking of, Seaburngirl, is Lonicera pileata - its a low growing one, white flowers, amethyst berries (or at least that's how the book describes the colour!) Its leaves aren't really smaller than L. nitida though, I don't think, they're a different shape, being much thinner rather than box like.

thats the beastie bamboo. L pileata. thanks
thanks for the suggestions fractal .