Common evening primrose
A North American plant whose yellow flowers open at dusk and fade by morning; its nectar is deep, so for honey bees it is mainly a morning pollen source.
- Nectar
- Low
- Pollen
- Medium
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 0,5-1,5 m
- Life cycle
- Biennial
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Common evening primrose came to Europe from North America centuries ago and has settled on sandy roadsides, railway embankments and waste ground. The large yellow flowers open in the late afternoon and are pollinated by moths; the nectar sits at the bottom of a narrow 2-4 cm tube, so honey bees often cannot reach it. Bees collect pollen early in the morning before the flowers close; because the pollen is bound together by sticky threads, it is laborious to collect.
Flowering
In its second year it flowers from June to September, opening new flowers every evening and staying in bloom for a long time.
Honey and pollen
Its contribution to honey production is small. No reliable record of the pollen colour was found.
Note for the beekeeper
It has naturalised in many parts of Europe and spreads by self-seeding; it is not a priority species for bee pasture.