Yellow star-thistle
A yellow-headed, long-spined weed that keeps giving abundant nectar even in dry midsummer; an important summer honey source in Anatolia and California.
- Nectar
- Very good
- Pollen
- Medium
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 0.3-1 m
- Life cycle
- Annual
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Yellow star-thistle grows in masses on fallow fields, roadsides and degraded pastures from Central Anatolia to the Mediterranean coast. Thanks to its deep taproot it keeps secreting nectar after the soil surface has dried out, making it one of the most reliable sources on the steppe in dry summers. The yellow tubular florets are heavily visited by honey bees.
Flowering
It flowers from late June to September, for more than 2 months depending on rainfall.
Honey and pollen
In California a monofloral honey bearing its name is produced commercially; it is light in colour with a slight greenish tint and a mild, sweet taste. In Turkey its nectar mostly ends up in highland and steppe mixed honey.
Note for the beekeeper
The plant causes a serious nervous disease in horses; there is no information that this effect passes into honey. It is considered invasive in North America; in Turkey it is a native species and is worth taking into account for summer migration.