Christmas rose
A poisonous plant of the limestone forests of the Alps with white winter flowers; it offers nectar and pollen to bees on mild winter days.
- Nectar
- Medium
- Pollen
- Medium
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 0,15-0,3 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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Christmas rose grows wild in the calcareous beech and pine forests of the eastern Alps and the Apennines; in Turkey it is known only as an ornamental. Its large white flowers, which turn pink with age, have tubular nectaries and many stamens. For bees flying once the temperature passes 8-10 °C, it is among the first nectar and pollen sources of the year.
Flowering
In gardens it flowers from December to March, in the wild from January to April as the snow melts. The flowers last for weeks and reopen undamaged after frost.
Honey and pollen
It makes no contribution to honey production. No reliable record of the pollen load colour was found.
Note for the beekeeper
All parts of the plant are poisonous; no harm to bees from its nectar or pollen has been reported. In European gardens with mild winters, planting it in shady corners near the hives provides a small but valuable source during the late-winter cleansing flights.