Melliferous flower

A melliferous flower is a plant which produces substances that can be collected by insects and turned into honey.[1] Many plants are melliferous, but only certain examples can be harvested by honey bees, because of their physiognomy (body size and shape, length of proboscis, etc.). Apiculture classifies a plant as melliferous if it can be harvested by domesticated honey bees.

The table below lists some of the known melliferous plants, and indicates the flowering period, as well as the resources harvested by bees (nectar, pollen, propolis, and honeydew). Each plant does not produce the same quantity or quality of these resources, and even among species the production can vary due to region, plant health, climate, etc.

Plant table

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Plains plants

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Image Common name Latin name Flowering months Nectar Pollen Propolis Honeydew
Black locust Robinia pseudacacia 05–06 X X . .
Corn poppy Papaver rhoeas 04–05 . X . .
Common dogwood Cornus sanguinea 05–06 X X . .
Ribes Ribes rubrum 04–05 X X . .
European holly Ilex aquifolium 05–06 X X . .
European ivy Hedera helix 09–10 X X X .
White mustard Sinapis alba 05–09 X X . .
Hazel Corylus avellana 01–03 . X . X
Dandelion Taraxacum officinale 05–06 X X . .
Goat willow Salix caprea 02–04 X X . .
White clover Trifolium repens 05–07 X X . .
Coltsfoot Tussilago farfara 02–04 . X . .

Mediterranean plants

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Image Common name Latin name Flowering months Nectar Pollen Propolis Honeydew
Almond Prunus dulcis 02–04 X X . .
Strawberry tree Arbutus unedo 10–01 X . . .
Buxus Buxus sempervirens 04–05 X X . .
Viburnum tinus Viburnum tinus 02–06 X X . .
Rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis 11–04 X X . .
Thyme Thymus vulgaris 04–09 X . . .

Mountain plants

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Image Common name Latin name Flowering months Nectar Pollen Propolis Honeydew
Garden angelica Angelica sylvestris 07–08 X X . .
Wolf's bane Arnica montana 07–08 X X . .
Erica Erica cinerea 07–09 X X . .
Calluna Calluna vulgaris 08–10 X X . .
Sweet chestnut Castanea sativa 06–07 X X . X
Milk thistle Silybum marianum 07–08 X X . .
Fireweed Epilobium angustifolium 07–09 X X . .
Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus 03–04 X X X X
Norway maple Acer platanoides 05–06 X X . X
Raspberry Rubus idaeus 06–07 X X . .
Great yellow gentian Gentiana lutea 07–08 X X . .
Hellebore Helleborus niger 01–04 X X . .
Boxthorn Lycium barbarum 07–08 X X . .
Blueberry Vaccinium myrtillus 05–06 X X . .
Snowdrop Galanthus nivalis 01–03 X X . .
Rhododendron Rhododendron ferrugineum 06–08 X X . .
Silver fir Abies alba 05 . X . X
Savory Satureja montana 07–08 X . . .
Wild thyme Thymus serpyllum 06–09 X . . .
Rowan Sorbus aucuparia 05–06 X X X .

Cultured plants

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Image Common name Latin name Flowering months Nectar Pollen Propolis Honeydew
Sunflower Helianthus annuus 07–08 X X . .
Lavender Lavandula intermedia 06–07 X X . .

References

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  1. ^ De Laet, Chloé; Olszewski, Tomasz K.; Grison, Claude (2019-10-20). "Melliferous potential of Mentha aquatica". Journal of Apicultural Research. 58 (5): 714–719. doi:10.1080/00218839.2019.1656160. ISSN 0021-8839. S2CID 202858869.