Hairy thorny broom
A very spiny shrub of Mediterranean maquis with bright yellow flowers from late winter to May; it mainly supplies bees with abundant pollen.
- Nectar
- Low
- Pollen
- Good
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 1-3 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
🐝 Add to my apiary
Log in to add it to your apiary.Value for beekeeping
Hairy thorny broom is a densely branched, sharply spiny legume growing in maquis and phrygana scrub in the coastal areas of the Aegean, the Mediterranean and the Southeast. Yellow papilionaceous flowers cover the branches from end to end. The flowers open under the bee's weight and pollen is pressed onto the bee's underside; nectar is very scarce, so bees visit the plant mainly for pollen.
Flowering
On the coast it flowers from late February until April-May. Its heavy bloom supplies colonies entering spring build-up with large amounts of pollen for brood rearing.
Honey and pollen
No monofloral honey from this species is known; its nectar contribution is small.
Note for the beekeeper
After fires and on overgrazed land it spreads rapidly, forming impenetrable thickets. Placing hives near these thickets guarantees spring pollen, but because of the spines the area around the hives must be kept clear.