Phillyrea latifolia
Evergreen Mediterranean maquis shrub whose small fragrant early-spring flowers give bees limited nectar and pollen.
- Nectar
- Low
- Pollen
- Medium
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 2-8 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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Phillyrea latifolia is an evergreen maquis shrub related to the olive. Its small, greenish-white flowers, clustered in the leaf axils, are pollinated both by wind and by insects. Honey bees visit it mainly for its pollen; the amount of nectar is small, and the beekeeping literature regards its value as limited.
Flowering
From March to May in the coastal maquis of the Aegean and Mediterranean, under Turkish red pine and on rocky slopes. Its early flowering adds to spring pollen diversity in coastal apiaries.
Honey and pollen
There is no honey named after it; it makes a small contribution to the mixed spring honey of the maquis.
Note for the beekeeper
It is not a source in its own right; its value lies in the spring support it provides together with other maquis plants such as strawberry tree, rockrose and heather. Little measured data exists on the nectar secretion and pollen colour of this species.