Onobrychis arenaria
A wild sainfoin of sandy and calcareous steppes; its pink-veined flower spikes from May to July give bees good nectar and pollen, much like cultivated sainfoin.
- Nectar
- Good
- Pollen
- Medium
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 0,3-0,8 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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Onobrychis arenaria, the sand sainfoin, is a wild sainfoin of sandy, calcareous steppe, dry grassland and slopes from central and eastern Europe to Anatolia, the Caucasus and Siberia. Sainfoin grown as a forage crop (Onobrychis viciifolia) is one of the most valuable honey plants; this species is smaller in build, but its flower structure and the resources it offers bees are similar. Its pale pink flowers with dark pink veins open in dense racemes.
Flowering
It flowers from late May to July. Thanks to its deep roots it can keep secreting during dry periods; nectar flow is best on hot, calm days.
Honey and pollen
It has no honey of its own; it contributes to steppe blossom honeys. Its pollen value is moderate. No yield measurements specific to this species were found.
Note for the beekeeper
It is a native, nitrogen-fixing species that prevents erosion on sandy, poor soils. Using it with local seed in pasture improvement work in dry regions benefits both livestock farming and beekeeping.