Field marigold
Small orange marigold of Mediterranean vineyards and olive groves, flowering from late winter; a valuable early pollen source.
- Nectar
- Low
- Pollen
- Medium
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Pollen colour
- Height
- 0.1-0.3 m
- Life cycle
- Annual
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Field marigold is a small herb 10–30 cm tall that grows in regions with a Mediterranean climate, between vines, in orchards and olive groves, on field edges and along roadsides. It is the wild relative of pot marigold and carries much smaller yellow-orange heads, 1–2 cm across. Its nectar is scant; its real value is supplying orange pollen early in the year.
Flowering
On mild coasts it flowers from February to June; where winters are mild, flowers can also appear after the autumn rains, and in favourable years it stays in flower almost all year round. The heads open in sunny weather and close on cloudy days.
Honey and pollen
It has no honey of its own. The orange pollen loads support the first brood rearing at the end of winter.
Note for the beekeeper
Leaving the alleys between rows in vineyards and olive groves untilled until early spring preserves the first sources that this and similar plants offer to bees.