AMERICAN HONEY PLANTS 223 



In some of the villages and cities the European lindens are numerous 

 and yield heavily. The bloom ceases toward the end of the clover flow, 

 though the time of flowering of different trees in the same neighborhood 

 varies greatly. Native linden, basswood, is now found only in a few places. 

 The season closes with the goldenrods and asters, which yield a rich, 

 aromatic honey which, though not acceptable to many persons, commands 

 a fancy price from others. The crop from these two sources is not always 

 to be depended upon, being more affected by the weather than some of 

 the others. — Arthur C. ATiller, Bulletin, State Board of Agriculture. 



RHODODENDRON, see Azalea. 

 RHUS, see Sumac. 

 RICHARDIA, see Mexican Clover. 

 ROBINIA, see Locust. 



ROCKBRUSH (Eysenhardtia amorphoides). 



Rockbrush is a small shrub common to southern and western Texas, 

 and extending into Mexico. It blooms after heavy rains, several times 

 during the year, and yields honey in surplus quantity. It is reported fre- 

 quently throughout the region south and west of San Antonio to the Rio 

 Grande. 



Colubrina Texensis, an entirely different shrub, which is common from 

 the Colorado River to the Rio Grande and west to New Mexico, is also 

 known by the name of rockbrush. It is reported as yielding both pollen 

 and nectar, but not as a source of surplus honey. 



ROCKY MOUNTAIN BEE PLANT (Cleome integrifoHa). 



The Rocky Mountain bee plant, also known as srinking clover (Fig. 

 120), is principally confined in its distributions to the plains region west 

 of the Missouri River. It is also reported from north Pacific Coast States. 

 While it is a dry land plant, it is occasionally reported from Illinois, Iowa 

 and Minnesota. Although it is occasionally seen elsewhere, the author 

 has not seen it in Iowa excepting on the Missouri River bluffs, where it is 

 plentiful in some localities. This plant is reported as especially valuable 

 in Colorado, where it is said to produce considerable quantities of honey. 



It is an annual with large, showy, pink or purple flowers. At one time 

 there was much interest in this plant on the part of eastern beekeepers 

 who tried to introduce it by sowing seed. At the Michigan Agricultural 

 College a small field was planted to ascertain whether it could be grown 

 profitably for honey alone. As no plant has as yet proven to be sufficiently 

 valuable to justify its cultivation for this purpose exclusively, it is not sur- 

 prising that the Rocky Mountain bee plant did not prove to be an excep- 

 tion. It is acrid and pungent and said to be distasteful to animals, which 

 seldom eat it. If the plant had any value for any purpose besides honey 

 production, an effort to extend the area of the distribution might succeed, 

 but the introduction of plants that are essentially 'weeds in their nature 

 seldom meets with favor. 



According to Frank Rauchfuss, the cleome is erratic in its yield. If 

 15 



