Crimson bottlebrush
An Australian shrub with red bottlebrush flowers; in Mediterranean parks it gives honey bees plenty of nectar and pollen in spring.
- Nectar
- Good
- Pollen
- Medium
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 2-4 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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Crimson bottlebrush is an evergreen shrub from eastern Australia, known for its red, bottlebrush-shaped flower spikes. Although its flowers are adapted to pollination by birds, they secrete plenty of nectar, and their open structure lets honey bees reach nectar and pollen easily. As it is widely planted in parks, gardens and road verges on Mediterranean coasts, it is a good spring source for urban apiaries.
Flowering
On the Turkish coast it flowers heavily from April to June; a weaker second flowering may follow in autumn. In its native Australia it flowers in spring and summer, that is from September to January.
Honey and pollen
It is not harvested as a separate honey; it ends up in urban spring honeys.
Note for the beekeeper
It does not tolerate prolonged frost; it grows well in coastal areas and mild inland locations. In current classification the genus Callistemon has been merged into Melaleuca; nurseries continue to use the old name.