Tamarind
A long-lived tropical tree whose dry-season flower clusters offer bees moderate nectar and pollen; it is a component of local mixed honeys rather than a main flow.
- Nectar
- Medium
- Pollen
- Medium
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 12-25 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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Tamarind is a tropical tree of African origin, widely grown in India, Southeast Asia and Latin America. It opens small flowers in clusters, with yellow petals veined in red; honey bees collect both nectar and pollen from them. On its own it does not give a major nectar flow, but where it grows in large numbers around villages and along roadsides it helps colonies get through the dry season.
Flowering
Flowering usually comes at the end of the hot, dry period, before the rains start; in India it mostly falls between April and July. Each tree opens a large number of flowers, but individual flowers are short-lived.
Honey and pollen
A commercial monofloral honey bearing its name is not common; its nectar ends up in mixed honeys.
Note for the beekeeper
It is not frost-hardy, so it does not grow outdoors in Turkey or Europe; this information applies to beekeepers in tropical regions. Hives placed near a water source during the drought period make better use of this tree.