Chaste tree
Valuable summer-dearth source along streams and coasts, flowering in drought and yielding plenty of nectar in hot weather.
- Nectar
- Good
- Pollen
- Medium
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 2-5 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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Chaste tree is a strongly scented shrub that forms stands in stream beds, behind dunes and in wet hollows along the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts. Its roots reach the groundwater, so it flowers and yields nectar even in drought; this makes it one of the few sources that keep bees going through the midsummer dearth.
Flowering
From late June to September; the flowers on the long purple-lilac (rarely white) spikes open in sequence from the bottom up. Secretion peaks on hot, calm days.
Honey and pollen
Summer honey taken in chaste tree areas is usually mixed with cotton, thyme or other coastal plants; a commercial monofloral honey is not common. Pollen is collected in moderate amounts.
Note for the beekeeper
Where chaste tree grows densely along streams, it is a good site for July-August. It is easily propagated from cuttings around the apiary and tolerates pruning and drought.