AMERICAN HONEY PLANTS 



191 



honey. Black locust, tulip-poplar and sumac are valuable in certain lo- 

 calities. Basswood, goldenrod and asters should also be included as of 

 local importance. 



PENNYROYAL, see Wild Pennyroyal, 



PEONY. 



The cultivated peonies are introduced from Asia and are commonly 

 grown for ornament. Most varieties are double and produce no pollen. 

 The single varieties, however, produce pollen in abundance, and at times 

 the bees seek them eagerly. The writer has seen as many as six to eight 

 bees gathering pollen on a single blossom. The opening buds also seem 

 to exude a nectar-like substance sought by ants and bees. 



PEPPERBUSH or WHITE ALDER (Clethra alnifolia). 



The sweet pepperbush occurs from Maine along the coast to Florida 

 and west to Louisiana. It is a small shrub with white flowers, as shown in 

 Figure 107, which appear in midsummer. In Alabama, Georgia and north 

 Florida, it is common in the coast plain, on swampy banks of streams and 

 in low, wet thickets. It is very fragrant when in bloom and is often used 

 for ornamental planting on lawns and in parks. The honey is thick, white 

 and of fine flavor. In localities where the plant occurs abundantly, in the 

 wild state, it seldom fails to bloom, since it grows in wet places and is 

 unaffected by drought. 



Fig. 108. Blossoms and fruits of pepper tree. 



