Swamp wattle
An Australian wattle with yellow ball flowers almost all year; little nectar but plenty of pollen. Planted on Mediterranean coasts, invasive in places.
- Nectar
- Low
- Pollen
- Good
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecSouthern hemisphere months
- Pollen colour
- Height
- 2-8 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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Swamp wattle is a mimosa species from south-eastern Australia with narrow, willow-like phyllodes (flattened leaf stalks that take the place of leaves). Its small, pale yellow, ball-shaped flower heads secrete no floral nectar; they attract bees with abundant pollen. Extrafloral nectaries at the base of the phyllodes provide a small amount of sugar.
Flowering
Its French name says it all: it flowers almost all year round. In a Mediterranean climate its peak is in spring and early summer; offering pollen on mild days at the end of winter as well, it helps early build-up.
Honey and pollen
It yields no honey. The pollen loads are yellow and give colonies protein support.
Note for the beekeeper
Like many Australian acacias it can spread quickly by seed and from the roots; in some Mediterranean countries, above all Portugal, it is on invasive species lists. New planting for beekeeping is not recommended; existing ornamental trees can be used as a pollen source. Data on how widespread it is in Turkey are limited.