Common bugloss
A borage-family plant of sandy, dry soils that flowers in succession from May to September, giving steady nectar and pollen all summer.
- Nectar
- Good
- Pollen
- Medium
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 0.3-0.8 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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Common bugloss is a member of the borage family that likes sandy, dry soils, roadsides and field margins. Its small purple-blue flowers open in succession over a long period, and bees visit them all day. In Eastern Europe it is known as a valuable summer honey plant.
Flowering
It flowers from May to September. In Turkey it is found mainly in Thrace and north-western Anatolia; its close relative Anchusa azurea is common throughout the country and has a similar value for beekeeping.
Honey and pollen
It gives no separate honey; its nectar goes into summer honeys. Pollen is collected too and provides a long-lasting source for brood.
Warning
Like other members of the borage family, it contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids. As the honey is usually mixed with other sources the risk is low; still, care is needed in areas where the plant dominates on its own.
Note for the beekeeper
On sandy fallow land it is valuable as an uninterrupted interim source throughout the summer.