Old man's beard
A climber of woodland edges and hedges with creamy white flowers all summer; very little nectar but abundant pollen, valuable in the summer dearth.
- Nectar
- Low
- Pollen
- Good
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 5-20 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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Old man's beard is a woody climber that grows for many metres over shrubs and trees. Its cream-white flowers have no petals; the showy part consists of four sepals and numerous stamens. The flowers are lightly scented and have little or no nectar; bees visit the plant mainly for its abundant pollen.
Flowering
It flowers for a long time from June to September. Being one of the few wild plants that supply pollen in midsummer, when the fields dry out, adds to its importance.
Honey and pollen
Its contribution to honey is almost nil. In autumn, feathery silvery seed heads cover the plant.
Note for the beekeeper
The fresh plant contains protoanemonin and can cause irritation in animals; there is no information that this passes into honey. In some regions, such as New Zealand, it has become an invasive species that smothers forests; in Europe and Turkey it is native. Leaving it in the hedges behind the hives adds to the summer pollen supply.