Poppy anemone
A Mediterranean spring flower in red, purple or white; it gives no nectar but offers bees plenty of dark pollen early in the season.
- Nectar
- None
- Pollen
- Good
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Pollen colour
- Height
- 0,2-0,4 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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Poppy anemone is a tuberous perennial growing in olive groves, at field edges and on stony slopes in the Aegean, Mediterranean and south-eastern Anatolia. Its flowers secrete no nectar; the numerous dark stamens in the centre provide plenty of pollen for bees. Red-flowered plants are the most common in the wild.
Flowering
In coastal regions it flowers from February to April, after the winter rains. The flowers open in sunshine and close in the evening and in rain.
Honey and pollen
It makes no contribution to honey production. The pollen loads are dark navy blue and easy to tell apart from other spring pollens at the hive entrance.
Note for the beekeeper
In Aegean and Mediterranean apiaries it is one of the local pollen sources supporting early spring brood. The fresh plant is irritant; digging tubers from the wild is restricted, so use nursery-grown tubers for planting.