514 
HONEY PLANTS 
White clover (T. repens) is the most important hon¬ 
ey plant in the eastern and central States; honey 
white, of the finest quality. A part of the nectar 
of red clover (I. pratense) is available in dry sea¬ 
sons; the honey is similar to that of white clover, 
but is a little nearer water-white. The honey of 
alsike clover (T. hybridum) and of crimson clover 
( T. incarnation) differ little, if at all, from that of 
white clover. The yellow clovers are of no impor¬ 
tance. Sour clover (T. furcatum) is the source of 
considerable honey in the alkaline regions of central 
California. See Clover. 
Clover.—See Sweet Clover, Sainfoin Clover, 
and Bur clover. 
Colima ( Xanthoxylum Fagara). —A thorny shrub 
or small tree, growing in Florida and southern 
Texas. The honey has a good flavor and body. 
Coma ( Bumelia lycioides) .—A small tree, or in 
Texas often a shrub, growing along streams from 
Florida to Texas. A good honey plant in the Rio 
G-rande Plain, Texas. Bloom from December to 
April. Honey light amber, of fair flavor with a 
twang suggestive of buckwheat. A thorny rough 
shrub covering hundreds of acres. 
Coralberry ( Symphoricarpos orbiculatus) —In, 
dian currant. Grows on rocky soil from New York 
to Texas. Secretes nectar freely. The snowberry 
( S. racemosus) yields a large amount of honey in 
Iowa. The wolfberry (S. occidentals) is common 
in the Missouri River basin and in Idaho. See 
BUCKBUSH. 
Coral Sumac ( Rhus Metopium).- —Poison wood. 
Doctor gum. A tree 40 to 50 feet tall, growing in 
the extreme southern part of Florida. The foliage 
is poisonous to the touch, and it exhales a volatile 
oil that is poisonous to some persons at a dis¬ 
tance. It yields a large amount of nectar, but the 
honey is always blended with other honeys. 
Cotton ( Qossypium herbaceum). —The cotton 
plant possesses both floral and extra-floral nectar¬ 
ies; most of the nectar is gathered from the nec¬ 
taries on the under side of the leaves. In Texas 
and some other parts of the South it yields well, 
but in some localities no honey is obtained from it. 
Nectar secretion is greatly influenced by the weath¬ 
er. The quality of the honey varies greatly in dif¬ 
ferent localities; in the southeastern States it is 
likely to be thin and of poor quality, but on the 
Black Prairie of Texas it is nearly white, very 
heavy, and mild in flavor. It granulates early. The 
flow lasts from June until frost. See Cotton. 
Cowitch ( Cissus incisa). —A fleshy vine, 30 feet 
long, growing on sandy shores from Florida to Texas. 
A surplus has been reported from Gunnison, Mis¬ 
sissippi and from Texas. The black berries are very 
sweet and the juice is attractive to bees in the fall. 
Cowpea ( Yigna sinensis). —From China, widely 
cultivated in the southern States for forage. In 
Georgia it is grown in all parts of the State, bloom¬ 
ing from June to September. The nectar is se¬ 
creted not by the flowers, but by extra-floral nec¬ 
taries situated near the ends of the long flower-stems, 
which bear two or three flowers. The honey is 
light-colored, but inferior in quality. 
Creosote Bush ( Govillea tridentata). —A spread¬ 
ing evergreen shrub with small bright yellow flow¬ 
ers. Dry plains and mesas of the southeastern des¬ 
erts. Near Tucson, Arizona, blooms for three 
months. Yields sufficient nectar to stimulate brood¬ 
rearing and to furnish a small amount of yellowish 
honey. 
Crimson Clover ( Trifolium incarnation). —Ital¬ 
ian clover. Carnation clover. Widely cultivated 
for hay. In Delaware, North Carolina, Ohio, and 
several other States it in some seasons yields a 
surplus. Honey very similar to that of white clo¬ 
ver. 
Crownbeard ( Verbesina virginica). —Pennsylvania 
to Texas. The white flowers bloom in the fall, and 
yield a honey of fine quality. The yellow-flowered 
V. occidentals is valuable in Tennessee. 
Cucumber ( Cucumis sativus). —In the vicinity of 
pickle factories there are hundreds of acres of cu¬ 
cumbers, which yield a small surplus of honey 
after clover is over. The honey is pale yellow and 
at first has a strong flavor suggestive of the fruit. 
Currant ( Ribes ).—The many species of currants 
and gooseberries, both wild and cultivated, are 
widely distributed. They bloom early and yield both 
pollen and nectar. The Missouri gooseberry (B. 
gracile) is a fair honey plant in the middle States. 
Dandelion ( Taraxicum officinale).- —Eurasia, North 
America, and many other parts of the world. Valu¬ 
able in spring for both pollen and nectar. Honey 
golden yellow, thick, strong flavored, crystallizing 
in a few weeks. 
Dogwood ( Cornus ).—Cornel. Shrubs with many 
flat-topped clusters of small white flowers. Usually 
unimportant, but where very abundant bees have 
been seen on the bloom in large numbers. 
Eryngo (Eryngium articulatum). —A dark hon¬ 
ey of good flavor. California. 
Eucalyptus.—Abundant in Australia, and more 
rarely found in New Guinea, Timor, and the Mo¬ 
luccas. There are about 150 species, of which not 
far from 100 have been introduced into Califor¬ 
nia. The flow of nectar is surpassed in quantity 
by no other plant. The honey varies in color from 
dark brown to amber, yellow and nearly white; 
and in flavor from a most agreeable to a peculiar 
acid taste in blue gum ( E. globulus), which ren¬ 
ders it unsalable at retail. The blooming time 
varies so greatly that there are species in flower 
during every month of the year. The future of 
Eucalyptus in California promises to be of vast im¬ 
portance to bee culture in that State. See Euca¬ 
lyptus. 
False Indigo ( Amorpha fruticosa).- —In Iowa and 
Nebraska this tall shrub is a valued honey plant. 
Bees in great numbers gather nectar and pollen 
from the bloom in early spring. 
Figwort (Scrophularia). —The figworts would 
be excellent honey plants if they were more com¬ 
mon. In S. marilandica (Simpson honey plant) 
the nectar is secreted in two large drops by the 
base of the ovary. Honeybees are constant visit¬ 
ors. Massachusetts to Kansas and Louisiana. In 
southern California S. calif ornica is a valuable 
honey plant. 
Forget-me-not ( Myosotis macrosperma).- —In Ore¬ 
gon yields a thin light amber honey with the aroma 
of the blossom. 
Gallberry ( Ilex glabra).- —A very important hon¬ 
ey plant in eastern North Carolina and southeastern 
Georgia. Also valuable in Florida, Alabama, and 
Mississippi. A reliable yielder in earlv spring. 
Honey white, superior in quality. An objection to 
a part of the gallberry region is the absence of 
later sources of honey. See Gallberry and Holly. 
Gaura ( Gaura filiformis). —In sandy soil in 
Texas, occasionally yields a surplus. Pink-purple 
flowers, in summer. 
Germander (Teucrium canadense). ■—Central 
States. Honeybees common on the flowers sucking 
nectar. 
Giant Hyssop ( Agastache nepetoides). —Ver¬ 
mont to Nebraska and southward. In bloom about 
six weeks, many honeybees. 
Gilia ( Gilia floccosa). —Common everywhere in 
