Heliotropium suaveolens
Fragrant heliotrope of fallows and stubble flowering in midsummer; a minor source in the summer dearth, but it contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids.
- Nectar
- Medium
- Pollen
- Low
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 0.1-0.4 m
- Life cycle
- Annual
🐝 Add to my apiary
Log in to add it to your apiary.Value for beekeeping
Heliotropium suaveolens is an annual heliotrope that flowers in midsummer on fallow fields, stubble, roadsides and sandy, dry ground. Heliotropes bear curled clusters of small, white, fragrant flowers; bees visit them during the summer dearth.
Flowering
Between June and September it keeps flowering even in hot, dry weather.
Honey and pollen
It gives no separate honey; it contributes to summer honeys to a limited extent.
Warning
Heliotropes contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA). These substances can cause liver poisoning in animals; PA has been reported in honey from areas dominated by its close relative Heliotropium europaeum. Having honey from large heliotrope areas analysed is recommended.
Note for the beekeeper
Data on this species' value for beekeeping and its flowering are based on limited sources and should be confirmed by local observation.