Christ's thorn jujube
Source of the famous sidr honey of Yemen and Arabia; this drought-hardy thorny tree yields abundant nectar in its autumn-winter bloom and the honey fetches very high prices.
- Nectar
- Very good
- Pollen
- Medium
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Crystallisation
- Slow
- Height
- 5-15 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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Christ's thorn jujube, known as sidr, is a thorny tree of the dry valleys of the Arabian Peninsula, East Africa and the Middle East. The open nectar disc in the middle of its small, greenish-yellow flowers offers plenty of nectar that bees can reach easily. The Hadramaut region of Yemen and southern Saudi Arabia are the centres of migratory beekeeping for sidr honey.
Flowering
The main flowering follows the summer rains, usually between September and December; in some areas a second, weaker flowering occurs in spring. Nectar secretion depends on adequate soil moisture.
Honey and pollen
Sidr honey ranges from amber to dark amber, is thick, caramel-like and has a distinctive sweetness; it crystallises slowly. Its pollen value is moderate.
Note for the beekeeper
Because the price is very high, adulteration and false labelling are common on the market; honey bought or sold as sidr should be checked by pollen analysis. It does not occur naturally in Turkey.