Texas Honey Plants

Part 1

Produced by Frank Zago

TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS.

BULLETIN NO. 102.

JANUARY 1908

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DEPARTMENT OF ENTOMOLOGY.

College Station, Texas.

Honey Bee on Horse-mint

TEXAS HONEY PLANTS.

C. E. Sanborn,

U. S. Cooperative Entomologist and Acting State Entomologist.

E. E. Scholl,

Assistant State Entomologist and Apiarist.

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Postoffice,

COLLEGE STATION, BRAZOS COUNTY, TEXAS.

* * * * *

TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS

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OFFICERS.

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GOVERNING BOARD.

(Board of Directors A. & M. College.)

K. K. LEGGETT, President Abilene

T. D. ROWELL, Vice President Jefferson

A. HAIDUSEK La Grange

J. M. GREEN Yoakum

WALTON PETEET Dallas

Part 2

R. T. MILNER Austin

L. L. McINNIS Bryan

W. B. SEBASTIAN Breckenridge

STATION OFFICERS.

H. H. HARRINGTON LL. D., President of the

College and Director

J. W. CARSON Assistant to Director and

State Feed Inspector

W. G. WELBORN Vice Director and Agriculturist

M. FRANCIS Veterinarian

E. J. KYLE Horticulturist

JOHN C. BURNS Animal Husbandry

R. L. BENNETT Cotton Specialist

O. M. BALL Botanist

G. S. FRAPS Chemist

C. E. SANBORN Co-Operative Entomologist

N. C. HAMNER Assistant Chemist

E. C. CARLYLE Assistant Chemist

L. McLENNAN Deputy Feed Inspector

A. T. POTTS Deputy Feed Inspector

J. H. RODGERS Deputy Peed Inspector

H. E. HANNA Deputy Feed Inspector

C. W. CRISLER Chief Clerk

W. L. BOYETT Clerk Feed Control

F. R. Navaille Stenographer

A. S. Ware Stenographer

STATE SUB-STATIONS.

W. S. HOTCHKISS, Superintendent Troupe, Smith County

Part 3

S. A. WASCHKA, Superintendent Beeville, Bee County

NOTE--The main station is located on the grounds of the

Agricultural and Mechanical College, in Brazos County. The postoffice

address is College Station, Texas. Reports and bulletins are sent free

upon application to the Director.

PREFACE.

This preliminary bulletin on Texas Honey Plants represents work of

the Department of Entomology dating through the office tenures of

Professors Mally, Newell, Sanderson and Conradi. They each have

authorized and aided in the collection of the flora and data contained

in this publication.

To Mr. Louis H. Scholl, of New Braunfels, Texas, Assistant and

Apiarist from 1902 until 1906, the Department is directly indebted for

the material contained herein, except as is otherwise designated.

Mr. Ernest Scholl, now Assistant and Apiarist, has furnished

material as shown herein. He is now working on a continuation of the

subject.

Mr. D. C. Milam, of Uvalde, formerly Foul Brood Inspector, has also

contributed, as is shown.

The main body of the work, however, has been accomplished through

the services of Mr. Louis H. Scholl, and much credit is due him, since

he has done more in this Department, and perhaps more than any other

person in helping to build up the Bee Industry of Texas. His data are

followed by this mark *

INTRODUCTION.

This publication treats of many of the Texas honey plants in a brief

technical manner. In addition, wherever possible, the common name is

used in connection with the description.

Part 4

The sequence followed by Coulter in his Botany of South West Texas

is herein mainly followed. In some instances quotations from Small's

Botany of Texas were used, as is shown in the publication. The plants

are discussed by families.

Not only is the honey producing qualities of the plants mentioned,

but frequent mention is also made of the respective quality and yield

of pollen and propolis. Data are included in many instances concerning

the weather conditions and its effects upon the yield of certain

plants.

It is hoped that this will be a great help to apiarists in selecting

locations for bees, since the value of bees depends entirely on the

environment under which they may be placed. Again it may help in

selecting certain plants to be planted that might prove to be very

beneficial to an established apiary.

The geographical distribution is given in a general brief way, so

that one is less apt to be confused concerning the abundance in nature

of certain plants. In this connection it must be remembered, however,

that on account of extended cultivation in Texas, some of the common

wild plants are becoming less numerous than formerly, while cultivated

varieties are becoming more common.

Two indices are contained in this bulletin. The first contains all

the common or vernacular names, and the second contains the latin or

technical names. The latter is complete, since some plants are known

only by the technical appellation.

*****

TRIPLE-LEAFED BARBERRY. Berberis trifoliata Moric.

Barberry family. Berberideae.

"On gravelly slopes and foothills from the Gulf coast to the Limpia

Part 5

mountains." (Coulter). Hunter, gravelly hills; honey yield abundant,

also pollen; fine for early brood rearing. January and February.*

PRICKLY POPPY. Argemone platyceras (Link. and Otto.)

Poppy family. Papaveraceae.

"Abundant in valleys and along dry hillsides." (Coulter). Roadsides,

waste fields and prairies. Honey yield unimportant, but abundance of

pollen during the dearth of summer. May and July.*

"This plant is abundant along the Brazos valley. Bees work heavily on

it in June, carrying heavy loads of pollen, which they store in nearly

every comb, thus making it disagreeable in the honey combs sometimes."

(E. Scholl).

POPPY. Papaver rhoeas L.

Poppy family. Papaveraceae.

Cultivated in flower gardens. Honey yield not important and plants

few. May.*

PEPPERGRASS. PEPPERWORT. Lepidium Virginicum L.

Mustard family. Cruciferae.

"In all situations, Quebec to Minnesota, Kansas, Florida, Texas and

Mexico. Naturalized in Europe." (Small). Found in all kinds of places;

honey yield not important; some pollen. June to August.*

GREGGIA. Greggia camporum Gray.

Mustard family. Cruciferae.

"Mountains of Western Texas." (Coulter). Honey yield early but not

abundant; also pollen helps early brood rearing. Hunter; waste fields

and fertile prairies. Honey yield early, but not abundant; also

pollen; helps early brood rearing. February.*

COMMON TURNIP. Brassica rapa L.

Mustard family. Cruciferae.

Part 6

Cultivated and sometimes escaped; bees work on the blossoms, honey

and pollen. June and July.*

BLACK MUSTARD. Brassica nigra Koch.

Mustard family. Cruciferae.

Cultivated and escaped; bees sometimes busy on it. June and July.*

MIGNONETTE. Reseda odorata L.

Mignonette family. Resedaceae.

College: cultivated on Apiary Experimental plats. Honey yield good;

plants not plentiful enough for surplus. June and July.*

PORTULACA. Portulaca grandiflora Hook.

Purslane family. Portulaceae.

Cultivated in ornamental flower beds. Honey yield good as it comes

during time when few others in bloom; also abundance of highly colored

pollen, red, orange and yellows. June until frost.*

SALT CEDAR. Tamarix gallica L.

Tamarisc family. Tamariscineae.

"A common European Mediterranean shrub which seems to have escaped in

many places in Texas." (Coulter). "On roadsides, in thickets and waste

places; warmer parts of Southern United States, naturalized from

Southern Europe." (Small). College Station; cultivated ornamental

shrub bees worked well on it, but number of trees scarce. May and

June.*

FRINGED POPPY MALLOW. Callirrhoe digitata Nutt.

Mallow family. Malvaceae.

"Common on prairies and in valleys." (Coulter). Hunter; prairies and

lowlands. Honey yield not important; some pollen. May and June. A good

pollen yielder during May at College Station.*

SPANISH APPLE. Malvaviscus drummondii. Torr & Gray.

Part 7

Mallow family. Malvaceae.

"From Rio Grande to the Colorado and Northeastward." (Coulter). In

lowlands and along streams. June and July.* "Plentiful along Comal and

Guadalupe rivers, New Braunfels, Texas. Not important." (E. Scholl).

ROSE OF SHARON. SHRUBBY ALTHAEA. Hibiscus Syriacus L.

Mallow family. Malvaceae.

"In various situations New Jersey and Pennsylvania to Florida and

Texas." (Small). Cultivated ornamental, in gardens and parks; honey

yield not important and plants few, but bees work busily on it; honey

and pollen. May to Sept.*

SPRING SIDA. Sida spinosa L.

Mallow family. Malvaceae.

"In cultivated grounds, waste places on roadsides, New York to Iowa,

Florida and Texas. Widely distributed in the tropics." (Small). Waste

places, fields and along roads; some honey and pollen; not important.

June to August.*

NARROW-LEAFED SIDA. Sida angustifolia Lam.

Mallow family. Malvaceae.

"In dry soil Texas to Arizona; also in Mexico and tropical America."

(Small). In dry soils; bees found upon it; yields pollen. June to

August.*

COTTON. Gossypium herbaceum L.

Mallow family. Malvaceae.

Cultivated staple crop in the fields for fibre. Honey yield good,

steady flow till frost, honey white and of good quality. Main source

throughout cotton belt. Nectar glands on ribs of leaves and on bracts

of buds, blooms and bolls. June to frost.*

JAPANESE VARNISH TREE. Firmiana platinifolia (L.) R. Br.

Part 8

Chocolate family. Buettneriaceae. HBK.

College Station: Cultivated ornamental tree on campus; honey yield

very heavy but of short duration some seasons longer. May and June.*

BASSWOOD. AMERICAN LINDEN. Tilia Americana L.

Linden family. Tiliaceae.

"A large and handsome tree of the Atlantic States, extending in

Texas to the Valley of the San Antonio River." (Coulter). On forests

of Eastern Texas, yields large quantities of excellent honey. May and

June.*

LARGE-FLOWERED CALTROP. Tribulus cistoides L.

Bean-caper family. Zygophylleae.

Hunter: in fields and waste lands; honey yield good until noon when

flowers close; also much pollen. April, August.*

GREATER CALTROP. Kallstroemia maxima (L) T. & G.

Bean-caper family. Zygophylleae.

"Tribulus maxima." (Coulter). "Common in dry soil throughout

Southern and Western Texas." (Coulter). Hunter: in fields and waste

lands. Honey yield good in morning, blossoms closing by noon except

in cool weather; good as it comes in the dearth of summer; also

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