Mastic tree
Evergreen shrub of Mediterranean maquis; wind-pollinated and nectarless, but male plants supply pollen to coastal apiaries in spring.
- Nectar
- None
- Pollen
- Medium
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 1-5 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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Mastic tree is one of the most typical shrubs of the maquis along the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts; it forms dense stands on rocky slopes, under Turkish red pine and in coastal scrub. It is dioecious and wind-pollinated; its flowers have no nectar. The reddish anthers of male plants provide bees with pollen in spring.
Flowering
It flowers between March and May, earlier on the coast and later inland. Because the pollen disperses quickly on dry, windy days, bees collect it mostly in the morning hours.
Honey and pollen
It is not a honey source. Its pollen value is moderate; in coastal areas it supports early spring build-up together with other maquis plants flowering at the same time.
Note for the beekeeper
From a variety grown on the Çeşme peninsula and the island of Chios, mastic resin is obtained by making incisions in the trunk. For apiaries in maquis areas it should not be counted on alone, but together with sources such as thyme, rockrose and myrtle.