Tufted vetch
Perennial climbing vetch of meadows and hedges whose one-sided purple racemes give good nectar through summer.
- Nectar
- Good
- Pollen
- Medium
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 0,3-1,5 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
🐝 Add to my apiary
Log in to add it to your apiary.Value for beekeeping
Tufted vetch is a perennial legume that climbs up shrubs and grasses with its tendrils. Its blue-violet flowers are arranged in dense, one-sided racemes. The flower tube is short enough for the honey bee to reach, so the nectar is easily collected; bumblebees also visit frequently. Its pollen value is moderate.
Flowering
From June to August it stays in flower for a long time in damp meadows, forest clearings and along the foot of hedges. In uncut areas flowering can extend over 6-8 weeks.
Honey and pollen
It is not harvested as a separate honey; it gives highland and meadow honey a light colour and a mild taste.
Note for the beekeeper
In northern Anatolia and on highland meadows it is one of the quiet components of the summer flow. Mowing the meadows in July removes this source; cutting the margins around the apiary late keeps bees supplied with nectar for a long time.