BEE-spoke-data/bees-v0 huggingface dataset:
The common hop plant is too well known to need description. It is common from New England to British Columbia and southward. It is very generally cultivated for making yeast and for medicinal purposes. The small greenish flowers are wind-polhenated. It furnishes pollen in abundance, but no nectar. (Fig. 75).
**HOP-TREE (Ptelea trifoliata), SHRUBBY TREFOIL.**
The hop-tree occurs from New England and Ontario south to Florida and westward to Michigan, Illinois and Missouri to central Texas. It is a shrub or small tree known also as wahoo and quinine tree. The bitter fruit is sometimes used as a substitute for hops. The flowers have a disagreeable odor. Scholl lists the honey yield as good, and very good, in
Figure 76: Horsemint (Morards pascata.) The source of the well-known horsemint honey.
favorable seasons, where the shrub is abundant. The California hop-tree (**Ptelea crenulata**) occurs in the western footbills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and in the Coast ranges. Its bloom has an agreeable aromatic odor. The author can find no reports that indicate it is regarded as important to the beekeepers of that region.
There are numerous reports to the effect that the hop-tree is a good source of nectar in the Eastern States.
##### Horsse Chestnut, see Buckeye
##### Horsseminet (Monarda)
There are several species of horsemint, known also as bee balm, wild bergamot, etc. Some of the species are represented from New England to Texas. Figure 77 shows **M. fistulosa**, the wild bergamot of the North. The corolla tubes are so deep that, as a rule, the bees are unable to reach the nectar. In some cases it is reported as yielding freely and the author has seen times when the bees were apparently getting considerable nectar from this species. Whether the nectar secretion is unusually abundant or the corolla tubes shortened more than is commonly the case, the author will not venture an opinion. In parts of Wisconsin, **M. punctata** (Fig. 76), according to D. L. H. Pammel, can be depended upon to yield an abundance of nectar every season. This is probably the most important species
Figure 77: Wild Bergamot (Monarda _fistulosa_). The corolla tubes are usually too deep for the bees to reach the nectar.
to the beckeeper. It is found more or less commonly on sandy soil from New York to Minnesota and south to Florida and Texas. In Texas it is the source of very large quantities of surplus honey in seasons following wet winters and springs. The honey is at clear light amber with a decided minty flavor. It is one of the most important sources in Texas, where, together with M. elinopedoides, it is regarded very highly. In the Arkansas Valley of southern Kansas horsemint is also important, yielding as high as fifty pounds of surplus per colony.
**HOUND'S-TONGUE (Cynoglossum officinal).**
Hound's-tongue is a weed introduced from Europe. It is now common in parts of Canada and the Northwestern States and occurs in Missouri and Arkansas, and from the Ohio Valley to the Carolinas and north Georgia. It is named from the shape and texture of the leaf. The illustration (Fig. 78) was photographed in open woods near Guelph, Ontario. There it is frequently mentioned as a good honey plant.
**HUAJILLA, see Acacia.**
**HUCKLEBERRY (Gaylussacia).**
There are several species of huckleberry common to the Eastern States. The common huckleberry of the markets, the black huckleberry (Gaylussacia baczeta) is common from Eastern Canada to Minnesota and south to Georgia, in rocky woodlands and swamps. This species also occurs
Figure 78: Hound's tongue.
on the Pacific Coast, and W. J. Shcppard reports it is a honey plant in British Columbia. (Fig. 79).
Lovell reports that it is very abundant on Cape Cod and yields every year.
**HUISACHE, see Acacia. HYDROPHYLLUM, see Virginia Waterleaf.**
**IDAHO--Honey Sources of.**
The principal sources of honey in northern Idaho are firewed, snowberry, alsike and white clovers. Secondary sources are dandelion, Indian hemp, grindelia and goldenrod,--H. A. Scullen.
In the southern part of the State alfalfa and sweet clover are the source of large quantities of surplus. Minor plants are probably similar to those of Colorado.
Figure 79: Black huckleberry-
**ILEX, see Holly, also Gallberry. INDIAN BEAN, see Catalpa. INDIAN CORN or MAIZE (Zea mays).**
Indian corn is native to North America and was cultivated by the Indians at the time of the discovery of the continent. It has become one of the most important grain crops and is grown in large acreage. It furnishes an abundance of pollen in mid-summer and the bees work upon the tassels so freely as to give rise to a very general impression that it furnishes
honey in abundance. At times, aphids are to be found upon the stalk and the bees also get a sweet substance from the axis of the leaves. While on infrequent occasions the bees may get honeydew from Indian corn, its principal value to the beekeeper is as a source of pollen.
"If the weather is favorable for the reproduction of plant lice, we may always expect them to attack the tassel, making the top leaves sticky and discolored. I have seen the bees pile on the tassel until you could scarcely see anything but the bees gathering this honeydew. The honey thus obtained is dark, but of very fair flavor."--Wm. R. Howard, White Rock, Texas. American Bee Journal, page 225. May, 1880. W. K. Morrison, writing in Gleanings, states as follows regarding corn:
"Corn is not generally set down as a yielded of the nectar sublime, but in tropical countries it is a very valuable honey plant, showing the importance of locality, showing also that corn is a native of the tropics. (Aug. 1, 1905.)
## 11 Indian Currant (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus)
The Indian currant, also known as coral berry or buckbrush, is a widely distributed shrub that furnishes considerable nectar in late summer. It may be found in the woodland borders and open forest from New York, west to the Dakotas, south to Missouri and Arkansas, and from New Jersey south along the mountains to Georgia and Alabama.
The blossoms are very small and inconspicuous (Fig. 80), but where the plant is abundant it is much sought by the bees. In southeastern Iowa, the season of 1914 was a very poor one for the bees, and many colonies required feeding to get them through the winter.
In a few localities, where buckbrush abounds, they not only were well prepared for winter, but stored some surplus. The blossoming season is July and August in most Northern States, so that the clover harvest is usually nearly over when it comes on. Figure 81 shows the bunches of red berries that hang on the bushes after the leaves have witnessed and dropped, which will be instantly recognized by anyone familiar with the plant. These berries are often about the only winter food available for small birds when the ground is covered with snow.
The snowberry **(S, racemosus)** (Fig. 82), is a related species with white berries. It occurs from New England west to Nebraska and Dakota, also on the North Pacific Coast. The plant is quite similar to the red-berried species in habit and growth and is also
Figure 4: Italian current or hschirunch, showing fruit.
**ILLINOS--Honey Sources of.**
There are but few important honey plants in Illinois. It is a clover State. White clover, alsike and sweet clover furnish the principal sources of surplus on the uplands, with hearisease and Spanish needle on the low lands. Maples and willows are important for early spring nectar, followed by fruit bloom and dandclion. There are numerous minor sources which add something to the product of the hive, but the above short list includes the important sources of surplus honey. In a few localities boneset and asters yield some surplus in the fall. Basswood, once important, has disappeared from most of the honey-producing districts, where it formerly produced large surplus. For list of minor plants, see Indiana.
**INDIANA--Honey and Pollen Plants of.**
Skunk cabbage, March.
Silver maple, March-April.
Red maple, March-April,
Box elder, March-April.
Willow, March-April.
Elm, March-April.
Judas tree, April-May.
Dandclion, April-September.
Crowfoot, April-May.
Sugar maple, April-May.
Fruit trees, April-May.
Ground ivy, May-August.
Currant and gooseberry, May.
Buckeye, May.
Grapevine, May.
Black locust, May.
Honey locust, May-June.
Poplar (tulip-tree), May-June.
Raspberry, May-June.
Blackberry, May-June.
White clover, May-June-July.
Alsike, June-July.
Red clover, June-July.
Sweet clover, June till frost.
Basswood, June or July.
Mustard, June till frost.
Button bush, July.
Teasel, July.
Cantip, July and August.
Cucumber, melons, etc., July-August.
Marsh milkweed, July-August.
Sumac, August.
Boneset, July till frost.
Figwort, July till frost.
Buckwheat, August.
Ironweed, July till frost.
Jewelweed, August-September.
Smartweed, August-September.
Goldenrod, August till frost.
Asters, August till frost.
Marsh sunflower, August till frost.
Spanish needle **(Coreopsis),** August.
Beggarticks, August.
--Second Annual Report, Inspector of Apiaries, Indiana.
**INDIAN FIG, see Prickly Pear.**
**INDIAN HEMP, see Dogbane.**
**INKBERRY, see Gallberry.**
**IOWA--Honey Sources of.**
Willows and maples furnish first nectar of importance in early spring. This is followed by the blooming of the wild plums and cultivated fruits. Next dandelion blooms in profusion for most of the time intervening between fruit bloom and white clover. White clover is the main source of surplus over the entire State, excepting a few small areas where sweet clover exceeds it in importance. Alsike is important in some sections. On rough lands along streams buckbrush or Indian current gives surplus in midsummer. Heartsease is valuable on low lands over the State and on higher lands in the vicinity of plughed fields in wet seasons. Asters, boneset, Spanish needle and numerous other fall flowers add something to the production of the hives, but in few localities can be said to be important. Basswood was once of great value to Iowa beekeepers, but has largely been cut down.
**IRONWEED (Vernonia).**
There are many species of the ironweeds to be found in many countries. They are common in Asia and Africa, as well as North America. They are common from New England south to Florida and west to Dakota and Texas, Figure 84 shows the flowers of the western ironweed **(Vernonia fasciculata)** and Figure 83 a clump of the common ironweed **(Vernonia Baldwini).** In the middle west they grow very commonly in pastures, and the purple blossoms are very conspicuous in late summer.
At times the bces work them very eagerly, but it is doubtful whether they are often of much value as a source of surplus.
**IRONWOOD, see Coma, also Titi.**
**IVYWOOD, see Laurel.**
Figure 83: Clumps of common ironweed in bloom.
## Appendix J Jackass CLOVER or STINKWEED (Wislizenia refracta).
Jackass clover or stinkweed is a rank scented annual plant with yellow flowers, growing two to six feet high. It is common from Sacramento to Lathrop and southward in the San Joaquin Valley, according to Jepson. --Flora of Middle Western California.
It is an important honey plant in the interior valleys, where it is reported as blooming freely only every other year. The blooming period is from August to December. C. R. Snyder, of Selma, regards it as a main source. He reports as high as 100 pounds of surplus per colony. He usually extracts two or three times from this source in September, and has extracted as late as December. A heavy rain or a frost will stop the flow. The honey is light and of good quality. A sample presented to the author is a light amber with a peculiar flavor, unlike our eastern honey. The flavor reminds one somewhat of butter-scotch candy. It is rather strong, but agreeable.
Richter comments on this plant as follows:
Figure 8: Bossoss of western ironweed.
"Honey water white, mild in flavor and of good body; granulates in three to six months, when it resembles a paste made from powdered sugar. The very fact that it is spreading so rapidly over the poor lands of the San Joaquin Valley, and that it produces the only water-white honey, with the exception of blue-curs, as far as the writer knows, that is produced in the late fall, has led to the conclusion that jackass clover will be one of the greatest honey-producing plants of the State, and may in future rank next to sage and alfalfa. During the fall of 1909 a Fresno beckeeper reported that he extracted thirty pounds per colony each week for six weeks from this source. Another beckeeper of the San Joaquin Valley relates that during the jackass clover flow the noise was terrific, and that home-coming bees flew so slowly that they could be picked out of the air. It was Henry T. Christman, of Colinga, who first became aware of its value as a honey plant and gave it its present name."
**JASMINE, See Yellow Jasmine. JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE, see Sunflower. JEWEL-WEED or Touch-Me-Not (Impatiens). The jewel-wecd (Fig. 85) is common in wet places and along small streams in shady situations. Some are to be found from Alaska to New England and south to Florida and Louisiana.. The plant has an odd hanging blossom, as shown in the picture. It is often called touch-me-not, from the sudden bursting of the seed pod when touched.**
**It is usually regarded as a bumblebee flower rather than a bee flower, but is reported as a source of honey in both Michigan and Wisconsin, where it is quite common in places. JOE-PYE WEED, see Boneset.**JOINTED CHARLOCK, see Radish.
JUDAS-TREE, see Red-Bud.
JUNE-BUD, see Red-Bud.
KANSAS-Honey Sources of.
Sweet clover probably ranks first as a honey plant in Kansas. It yields surplus honey from east to west in the State and succeeds on high, dry land as well as in the river valleys. In some parts of the State, surplus honey is secured from no other crop. In the Arkansas Valley alfalfa is also important and yields freely. Hoarhoud, heartsease and wild sunflowers also yield surplus. White clover is uncertain in most of Kansas and only yields honey occasionally under favorable conditions. The Arkansas Valley is excellent bekeeping territory and the yields there compare favorably with the best elsewhere. The first nectar comes from soft maples in late February or March. Elms furnish early pollen and willows along the streams furnish both nectar and pollen. There are many orchards in Kansas and fruit bloom is important, surplus occasionally being gathered from apple blossoms. Horsemoint is important in the southern part of the State, as high as 50 pounds per colony of surplus being reported from this source.
KENTUCKY-Honey Sources of.
H. R. Niswonger, in Circular 69, Extension Division of the College of Agriculture, gives the following as important sources of nectar in Kentucky:
"Fruit trees and bush fruits of considerable importance, sometimes yielding surplus.
"Crinson clover, very important, coming before white clover.
"Aksike clover, comparing well with the yield from white clover.
"White clover usually yields a heavy surplus.
"Red clover, sometimes worked by bces on second blooming.
"Sweet clover, one of the most important, blooming for four weeks or more.
"Sour-wood, one of the principal sources in the mountain sections.
"Linden, also important in mountain sections.
"Buckwheat, important, coming when there is a dearth of other plants in bloom.
"Goldenrod yields an abundance of nectar.
"Aster yields in late autumn, often sufficient to carry the bees through the winter, sometimes some surplus, also.
"Many forest trees infested with plant lice yield large quantities of honeydew.
In addition to the above list the following are taken from a contribution to American Bee Journal by Mr. N. P. Allen, of Smith's Grove, Kentucky:"Elm, elder, hazel and willow for early pollen. "Maples. "Red-bud or Judas tree. "Black locust. "Blackberry and raspherry. "Poplar (tulip-tree), begins to bloom about the middle of May and yields more honey than any forest tree. "Prelickly ash and sumac. "Yellow-wood and coral berry in July."
KINNIKINICK (Rhus virena).Kinnkink is a sumac which grows from the Colorado River to the Rio Grande and westward. The Indians and Mexicans mix the leaves with tobacco and smoke them. It grows in large quantity in the hills some distance north of Uvalde, Texas, and blooms from September till frost, with sufficient rain. Local beekeepers report that as high as sixty pounds of honey per colony is sometimes secured from this source. The honey is said to be green in color, with a rank, strong taste, and does not granulate. The combs are capped very white when the bees are working on kinnkinkink. This should not be confused with the species of dogwood which is also commonly called by the same name. There are several species of sumac which are valuable honey plants. (See sumac; also dogwood).
KNAPWEED, see Star Thistle.KNOCKAWAY or ANAQUA (Ehretia ellipticala).The anaqua is a common tree with small white flowers in open panicles and oval leaves, which is common from New Braunfels, Texas south to the lower Rio Grande. It is commonly reported as a valuable source of nectar by Texas beekeepers.
KNOTWEED, see Heartsease.
LADIES' EAR DROPS, see Brunnichia.
LADY'S THUMB, see Heartsease.
LAMBKILL, see Laurel.
**LAUREL (Kalmia).**
The mountain laurel **(Kalmia latifolia),** also known as calico-bush or spoon-wood and in the Southern States as poison ivy, is a common shrub occurring in the higher altitudes from New England and Ontario south to the Gulf States. It is widely credited as being the source of poisonous honey. (See Poisonous Honey), The sheep laurel or lambkill (Fig. 86) is a closely related species which occurs from Newfoundland and west to Michigan and south to north Georgia. They are shrubs with shower flowers which are not often reported as important honey plants. In some places, hills are covered with the mountain laurel, which makes a pleasing sight when in bloom. These plants are so well known that a great variety of common names have become known in different localities.
According to Sladen, the sheep Laurel **(Kalmia angustifolia)** is one of the important sources of honey in Nova Scotia.
**LAUREL-TREE, see Red Bay. LEATHERWOOD, see Ti-til.**
**LEMON (Citrus limon).**
The lemon is a valuable source of honey in southern California, though much less is heard of it than of orange. It is cultivated principally in the coast region, and Richter suggests that the proximity to the ocean of the principal lemon groves may account for the fact that it does not yield as well as orange. Unlike other fruit trees, it blooms more or less continuously throughout the year. This again would make its real value less apparent, since a plant which yields a little nectar for a long period of time may give a total greater than one which gives a heavy yield for a short period. It is noted, also, that oranges yield less freely along the coast than in the interior valleys.
**LETTUCE (Lactuca floridana).**
Figure 87 will give a good idea of the height to which the wild blue lettuce grows. It is common in the woodland borders, in rich soil, from Pennsylvania to Iowa and south to Florida and Texas. The plant produces hundreds of blue flowers in late summer and early fall. Although it is of no special importance as a honey plant, the bees visit it frequently and apparently get some nectar from its blossoms. In the South it is reported as blooming in May and June. The writer does not recall having seem it in bloom in Iowa earlier than August, while it blooms into September. There are a considerable number of species of wild lettuce, some of which, like the prickly lettuce, become very troublesome weeds. The writer has not observed the bees working to any extent on any except the blue fall lettuce above described.
**LEONURUS, see Motherwort. LIGNUM-VITAE, see Soapbush. LILAC, see Mountain Lilac.**
**LIME (Citrus acida).**
The lime is a fruit very similar to the lemon, which has been introduced to some extent into the citrus districts. Since it is not generally grown it is not very important, though it yields honey freely.
**LIMETREE, see Basswood. LINDEN, see Basswood. LION'S TAIL, see Motherwort. LIPPIA GRASS, see Carpet Grass.**
**LIQUORICE (Glycerrhiza lepidota).**
The wild liquorice is a plant of the pulse family occurring from Minnesota to Missouri and westward to Washington and Arizona. It is found in Colorado and Wyoming at 4000 to 8000 feet altitude. It is reported as quite abundant in places!! Wyoming, and some years as being a great yielded of nectar.
**LIVE OAK, see Oak.**
**LOCALITY.**
The plants which yield honey in surplus quantity are comparatively few in number. In the average locality there will be only two or three
Figure 57: Wild lettuce is a tall growing plant.
important sources of nectar, with a considerable number of minor ones which furnish the bees with a partial living between the main flows.
As an example, a typical Iowa locality may be mentioned. There white clover is the principal source of surplus honey. Now and then some surplus will be gathered in the fall, also, from heartsease. Yet the list of plants which yield nectar in that particular neighborhood is a rather long one. Were it not for these minor sources, to provide for the bees before and after the clover flow, bekeeping would hardly be possible there. To begin the season, fruit trees, apples, cherries and plums, furnish a liberal supply of nectar. These trees bloom early in spring when the bees are still weak from the long winter. If it were possible for the beekeeper to so conserve the strength of his colonies that they would come through the winter in as good condition as they are in mid-summer, a good crop of surplus honey would be gathered from fruit bloom in favorable seasons. Following fruit bloom, the dandelions come. There are several weeks of bloom from dandelion and the bees make the most of it. Considerable nectar and an abundance of pollen are gathered from dandelion, only to be used in brood-rearing. It takes a large amount of honey to rear a big force of bees, and without strong colonies of bees profitable crops of honey cannot be harvested. It takes honey, then, to make bees, and it takes bees again to gather a big crop of honey.
The dandelion continues to bloom, in some localities, until within a short time of the opening of the white clover flow. In favorable seasons, when the clover is abundant and weather conditions favorable, a liberal crop may be expected from the clover. Following the clover there is a long period when but little honey is coming from the field. In one neighborhood the bees may be entirely idle, while a short distance away there may be sufficient forage to support the colony. In the one location the surplus gathered from clover will be consumed, in part, to support the colony until the fall flow from heartsease; in the other the bees will gather enough from minor plants to support them. The one locality thus becomes a good one for bekeeping, while the other is poor, and perhaps they are but a few miles apart.
This is a fair example of general conditions. The locality may not be in the clover region, but the presence or absence of the minor plants is extremely important to the beekeeper who would support his family from the products of his apiary.
There are many locations where the presence of plants which yield pollen abundantly are second in importance only to the plants which furnish the main honeyflow. As an example, there are places along the Appalachicola River, in Florida, where enormous yields of surplus honey are sometimes secured from upelo, but where there is so little pollen for the rest of the summer that the bees suffer seriously for the lack of it. In some places the beekeepers find it necessary to move their bees to other locations in order to maintain the strength of their colonies, following the flow from upelo. Thousands of colonies of bees have died in locations where wonderful yields of honey have been harvested, because no pollen was available to enable them to continue brood-rearing.