Marsh mallow
Perennial of damp ground that flowers from midsummer into autumn, offering abundant large-grained pollen and moderate nectar.
- Nectar
- Medium
- Pollen
- Good
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Pollen colour
- Height
- 0,8-1,5 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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Marsh mallow is a typical bee plant of the mallow family: the nectar at the base of the pale pink flowers is within easy reach of honey bees, and its large, spiny pollen grains are produced in abundance. It does not create a big flow on its own, but it provides a steady food supply during the late-summer dearth.
Flowering
From July to September; because the flowers in each cluster open one after another, it stays in flower for a long time. It flowers more abundantly along streams, in salty and damp meadows and along wet ditches.
Honey and pollen
No marsh mallow honey as such is produced; it contributes to mixed summer honey. Pollen loads are whitish cream, and bees often return to the hive with pollen dust on their backs.
Note for the beekeeper
It can be sown in damp, unused corners or around the apiary; it grows easily from seed and stays in place for years. On dry, droughty soils nectar secretion drops markedly.