American basswood
One of North America's leading honey trees, yielding heavy nectar flows in good years. Its honey is very pale with a sharp, fresh aroma; yields vary greatly from year to year.
- Nectar
- Very good
- Pollen
- Medium
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Crystallisation
- Medium
- Height
- 20-35 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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American basswood is a common forest tree in eastern North America and around the Great Lakes, and a classic summer source for beekeepers there. In good years a single colony can fill its supers within a few days; in dry or cool years, on the other hand, there may be almost no secretion at all.
Flowering
It flowers for about 2-3 weeks from late June to mid-July. The flowers hang in drooping clusters attached to a tongue-shaped bract; bees work them hard on hot days that follow mild, humid nights.
Honey and pollen
The honey ranges from water white to very pale yellow and has a distinct, slightly sharp, minty taste; it crystallises at a moderate rate. Its pollen contribution is secondary.
Note for the beekeeper
In Europe and Turkey it is found only occasionally as a park tree, so its importance for beekeeping here is small. In its native range, catching the basswood years means being ready with strong colonies that already have supers on.