Montpellier maple
A small maple of dry, rocky slopes common in Anatolia; its flowers open with the leaves in April-May and support spring build-up with nectar and pollen.
- Nectar
- Medium
- Pollen
- Medium
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 5-12 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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The Montpellier maple is a small tree or large shrub ranging from the Mediterranean basin to Iran; in Turkey it is common on dry, calcareous and stony slopes in the Aegean, Mediterranean and Central Anatolian regions. Like most maples its flowers are insect-pollinated; they give nectar and pollen, and bees visit them in spring.
Flowering
It flowers in April-May together with the leaves, in long-stalked, drooping, yellowish-green clusters. Flowering lasts about two weeks and is later at higher altitudes.
Honey and pollen
It does not yield honey on its own; its contribution goes into mixed spring honey and into the pollen that feeds brood rearing.
Note for the beekeeper
Because it is very tolerant of drought and poor soil, it is worth considering for afforestation on steppe margins and for planting around apiaries. Its value for beekeeping is local and supportive.