Bishop's weed
White-umbelled plant of field margins, also grown for cut flowers; offers exposed nectar and pollen in early summer and photosensitises livestock.
- Nectar
- Medium
- Pollen
- Medium
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 0,3-1 m
- Life cycle
- Annual
🐝 Add to my apiary
Log in to add it to your apiary.Value for beekeeping
Bishop's weed is an annual that grows on field margins, fallow land and disturbed ground in the Mediterranean basin and the Middle East; in Europe it is also produced as a cut flower. The small flowers in its lacy white umbels secrete nectar openly; honey bees, flies and wild bees use them easily. Its nectar and pollen contribution is moderate.
Flowering
It lasts from late May to August; plants that germinate in autumn can begin flowering in late April on the Mediterranean coast.
Honey and pollen
There is no monofloral honey; it is a component of early-summer mixed honeys.
Note for the beekeeper
The plant, especially its seeds, contains furanocoumarins; it can cause photosensitivity in grazing animals. No adverse effect on honey has been reported. It should not be confused with its close relative Ammi visnaga, known in Turkish folk usage as diş otu (toothpick weed); both are visited by bees.