Pará rubber tree
In rubber plantations the extrafloral nectaries on leaf stalks secrete heavily during leaf renewal; it is the main honey source in Kerala, India.
- Nectar
- Good
- Pollen
- Low
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Crystallisation
- Fast
- Height
- 20-30 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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The Pará rubber tree comes from the Amazon basin; today it is grown on large plantations in Southeast Asia, India and West Africa. For beekeeping its real value lies less in its flowers than in the extrafloral nectaries at the tip of the leaf stalks. When trees that shed their leaves in the dry season put out new shoots, these nectaries secrete heavily for several weeks.
Flowering
In southern India leaf renewal and flowering usually fall between January and March. Secretion increases with cool nights and humid mornings; rain can wash the nectar away and cut the flow short.
Honey and pollen
Most of the honey produced in Kerala comes from this source. The honey is light amber, mildly sweet and crystallises quickly. Because its moisture content can stay high, honey harvested before it is ripe easily ferments. Its pollen contribution is low.
Note for the beekeeper
For this short, intense flow colonies should be built up before the season, and honey should not be extracted before it is capped. It does not grow in Turkey or Europe.