Pennyroyal

Value for beekeeping

A low, branching mint of hollows that hold water in winter, stream beds, damp pastures and field margins in Europe, the Mediterranean basin, Anatolia and the Middle East. Honey bees visit its small lilac flowers arranged in whorls; its value is moderate and its pollen contribution low.

Flowering

It flowers from June to September. As long as there is moisture in the soil it keeps secreting, so it offers flowers to bees even when surrounding plants have dried up. Its contribution becomes noticeable in wet meadows where it forms dense clumps.

Honey and pollen

No monofloral honey is known; it makes a small contribution to mixed summer honeys.

Note for the beekeeper

Its essential oil contains a high proportion of pulegone and is toxic to humans as a concentrated oil; this applies to the plant's oil and to excessive amounts of its tea, and there is no known problem with the honey. In many European countries it is declining because wetlands are being drained; protecting damp pasture margins helps this species survive.