Cross-leaved Heath
Erica tetralix
- Flowering period
- June–September
- Nectar
- gut
- Pollen
- gering
Cross-leaved Heath flowers from June to September and, in moorland and heathland areas, supplements the ling. The nectar value is good, the pollen value low, so it provides honey but hardly any protein. It needs wet, nutrient- and base-poor, acidic peat or sandy soils and is therefore bound to intact wet heaths. Its honey flows more easily than that of ling and is usually included together with it in heather honey.
Sources (6)
- Trachtpflanzen-Katalog Bienenroute: Glocken-Heide
- Bienenweidekatalog Baden-Württemberg, Ministerium für Ernährung, Ländlichen Raum und Verbraucherschutz mit Universität Hohenheim
- Heidekraut, Die Honigmacher (Deutscher Imkerbund)
- Filipiak, Walczyńska, Denisow, Petanidou, Ziółkowska (2022): Phenology and production of pollen, nectar and sugar in 1612 plant species from various environments
- Baude, Kunin, Memmott (2015): Nectar sugar values of common British plant species [AgriLand]
- Baude, Kunin, Davies, Wright, Memmott (2025): Pollen production values of common British plant species