Terms of flowering honey plants in the USA and Canada

According to observations of naturalists and beekeepers.

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Scientific name:

Acer saccharum

Common name(s):

Sugar maple, Rock maple, Hard maple.

Life form:

Tree.

Flowering time:

7 - 10 days.

Flowering period

in West Virginia for this plant is: AprilJune.

NECTAR PRODUCTION:
200 kilograms per ha

SOURCE FOR HONEY BEES:
Major


General distribution:

Sugar maple grows from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick westward to Ontario and Manitoba, southward through Minnesota, and eastern Kansas into northeastern Texas. It extends eastward to Georgia and northward through the Appalachian Mountains into New England. Local populations occur in northwestern South Carolina, northern Georgia, and northeastern South Dakota. Disjunct populations are known from the Wichita Mountains of southwestern Oklahoma.

Map of distribution and habitat in USA

This plant is present in at least 39 states/provinces in this country.

See The Map

Botanical description:

Sugar maple is a deciduous tree which reaches 90 to 120 feet (27-37 m) in height and 30 to 36 inches (76-91 cm) in d.b.h. Extremely large specimens have reached more than 130 feet (40 m) in height and more than 5 feet (1.5 m) in d.b.h. Sugar maple is long-lived and plants can survive for 300 to 400 years. The bark is light gray to gray-brown and becomes deeply furrowed and rough with age. Twigs are a shiny, reddish-brown. Sugar maple is relatively deep-rooted, with many extensively-branched laterals.

Sugar maple is monoecious or dioecious. Small, greenish-yellow flowers are borne in tassel-like clusters or racemes. Each drooping cluster contains 8 to 14 flowers. The fruit is a paired, papery-winged samara which averages 1 inch (2.5 cm) in length.

Seasonal development:

Growth initiation of sugar maple varies geographically. Flower buds generally begin to swell prior to the development of vegetative buds and generally emerge 1 to 2 weeks before the leaves appear. Male and female flowers mature at slightly different rates, which promotes cross-pollination. Fruit ripens approximately 12 to 16 weeks after the flowers appear. Fruit begins to fall approximately 2 weeks after ripening.


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List of honey plants that may be blooming now in West Virginia
See the entire list

Cercis canadensis (aka: Eastern redbud, Redbud, Cersis Reniformis)

Malus angustifolia (aka: American crab apple, Buncombe crab apple, Crabtree, Narrowleaf crab, Narrowleaf crab apple, Southern crab, Southern crab apple)

Aronia arbutifolia (aka: Red chokeberry)

Salix discolor (aka: Pussy willow, American pussy willow, Glaucous willow, Large pussy willow)

Pyrus communis (aka: European pear, Common pear)

Celtis laevigata (aka: Hackberry, Sugarberry, Lowland hackberry, Sugar hackberry, Arizona sugarberry, Netleaf hackberry, Small's hackberry, Southern hackberry, Texas sugarberry)

Acer negundo (aka: Boxelder, Western boxelder, Arizona boxelder, California boxelder, Texas boxelder, Interior boxelder, Violet boxelder)

Salix lucida (aka: Shining willow, Greenleaf willow, Tail-leaf willow, Whiplash willow, Pacific willow, Lance-leaf willow, Longleaf willow, Red willow, Western shining willow)

Malus domestica (aka: Pyrus pumila, Malus pumila, Apple)

Prunus cerasus (aka: Sour cherry, Tart cherry, Dwarf cherry, Montmorency cherry)

Malus coronaria (aka: Sweet crab apple, Garland crab, Alabama crab, Allegheny crab, American crab, Baltimore crab apple, Buncombe crab, Dawson crab, Dunbar crab, Fragrant crab, Garland tree, Lanceleaf crab apple, Missouri crab, Sweet-scented crab, Sweet wild crab, Wild crab, Wild sweet crab, Wild Crab Apple)

Populus tremuloides (aka: Quaking aspen, Trembling aspen, Aspen, American aspen, Mountain aspen, Golden aspen, Trembling poplar, White poplar, Popple, Alamo Blanco)

Prunus americana (aka: American plum, Goose plum, River plum, Wild plum)

Acer saccharum (aka: Sugar maple, Rock maple, Hard maple)

Liriodendron tulipifera (aka: Tuliptree, Blue-poplar, Tulip-poplar, Yellow-poplar, Yellow wood)

Ilex opaca (aka: American holly, Dune holly, Hummock holly, Scrub holly)

Acer platanoides (aka: Norway maple)

Celtis occidentalis (aka: Common hackberry, Bastard elm, Nettle-tree, Northern hackberry)

Catalpa speciosa (aka: Northern catalpa, Hardy catalpa, Western catalpa, Cigar tree, Catawba-tree, Bois chavanon)

Acer pensylvanicum (aka: Striped maple, Moosewood, Goosefoot maple, Whistlewood)

Acer spicatum (aka: Mountain maple, Low maple, Moose maple, Water maple, Plaine batarde, Fouereux)

Robinia pseudoacacia (aka: Black locust, False acacia, Yellow locust, White locust, Green locust, Post locust, Falsa acacia, Robinia)

Viburnum prunifolium (aka: Blackhaw, Black haw, Blackhaw viburnum, Sweet haw, Stag bush, Smooth Blackhaw Viburnum, Stagbush, Viburnum bushii)

Rhamnus cathartica (aka: Common buckthorn, European buckthorn, Dahurian buckthorn)

Vaccinium angustifolium (aka: Lowbush blueberry, Early low-bush blueberry, Low sweet blueberry)

Rubus canadensis (aka: Smooth blackberry, Thornless blackberry, Canadian blackberry, Smooth highbush blackberry)

Rubus laciniatus (aka: Cutleaf blackberry, Evergreen blackberry, Slashed blackberry)

Ajuga reptans (aka: Bugle, Blue bugle, Bugleherb, Bugleweed, Carpetweed, Carpet bugleweed, Common bugle, St. Lawrence plant)

Astragalus (aka: Milkvetch, Locoweed, Goat's-thorn)

Vaccinium corymbosum (aka: Highbush blueberry, High-bush blueberry, Northern highbush blueberry, Tall blueberry, Rabbiteye blueberry, Blue huckleberry, Tall huckleberry, Swamp huckleberry, High blueberry, Swamp blueberry)

Rhus glabra (aka: Smooth sumac, Common sumac, Rocky Mountain sumac, Red sumac, Western sumac, White sumac)

Brassica napus (aka: Rapeseed)

Sinapis arvensis (aka: Charlock mustard, California rape, Charlock, Corn mustard, Canola, Kaber mustard, Rapeseed mustard)

Gleditsia triacanthos (aka: Honey locust, Honey shucks locust, Common honeylocust, Sweet bean locust)

Aronia melanocarpa (aka: Black chokeberry, Rowan, Mountain Ash, Sorbus)

Rubus phoenicolasius (aka: Wine raspberry, Japanese wineberry, Wineberry)

Prunus serotina (aka: Black cherry, Wild black cherry, Rum cherry, Mountain black cherry, Wild cherry)

Prunus pensylvanica (aka: Pin cherry, Fire cherry, Bird cherry)

Asclepias tuberosa (aka: Butterflyweed, Butterfly Milkweed, Orange Milkweed, Pleurisy Root, Chigger Flower, Canada root, Fluxroot, Indian paintbrush, Indian posy, Orange root, Orange Swallow-wort, Tuber root, Yellow milkweed, White-root, Windroot, Butterfly love)

Tilia americana (aka: American basswood, Basswood, Linden)