Satureja cuneifolia
A shrubby savory of the dry, stony slopes of southern Anatolia that flowers in late summer, offering nectar when other thymes have finished.
- Nectar
- Good
- Pollen
- Medium
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 0,2-0,5 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
🐝 Add to my apiary
Log in to add it to your apiary.Value for beekeeping
A small shrub of limestone and stony slopes and pine clearings in Turkey, especially in the Mediterranean and Aegean regions and the south of Central Anatolia; it also occurs in the Balkans and Italy. Because of its essential oil it is gathered and sold as thyme. Honey bees readily visit its white to pale purple flowers.
Flowering
Flowering lasts from July to September and can shift by a month depending on altitude and rainfall. Its most important feature is that it flowers at the end of summer, after the Thymbra and Origanum species have finished. If drought persists in the August heat, secretion weakens, but it can revive after the first autumn rains.
Honey and pollen
No separate monofloral honey is known; it adds a spicy aroma to mixed late-summer honeys. Its pollen contribution is moderate.
Note for the beekeeper
Before or during the pine honey season, slopes rich in this plant give the colony extra nectar and pollen and so support the rearing of winter bees. Flowering months vary by region, so local observation is essential.