The Magnolia Family

I ran into my beekeeping friend Randolph Richards at a honey bee conference. Randolph is a retired college professor who is quite an authority on bee plants, especially those that grow in Tennessee and Kentucky. He gives some of the most interesting presentations on bee plants. I mentioned to him that I had been reading that there are a half dozen families of important bee plants: legumes, roses, mints, snapdragons, composites, and mustards. Each family contains numerous plants that supply ample amounts of nectar and pollen to the honey bees. Randolph said there is one more quite important family of bee plants, the magnolias. The magnolia family, Magnoliaceae, includes one of the most important nectar-producing flowering plants, tuliptree. Tuliptree, also known as tulip poplar or yellow poplar tree, is an important source of honey across Tennessee, Kentucky, and much of the eastern United States. We don’t find tuliptree in any abundance here in the Arkansas Delta, though.

Other members of the magnolia family include several species of flowering magnolia trees. The beautiful flowering blossoms of these magnolias often produce large quantities of pollen. Pollen is important to the honey bees as a source of protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals. Tuliptree is a heavy producer of nectar, a carbohydrate and the source of honey. When the bees mix the pollen and nectar to produce bee bread, they make a complete diet for their brood. The towering tuliptree produces nectar from large, tulip-shaped blossoms. Each flower only produces nectar for about a day and a half. However, during its relatively short blooming period, one of these large trees may produce nine pounds of nectar. From this nectar, the bees may produce two to two and a half pounds of honey. Tuliptree honey, considered to be of good quality, is reddish amber in color and rather strong if flavor. I am sure that on a cold Kentucky morning Randolph enjoys a breakfast of fried rabbit and hot, buttered biscuits with tuliptree honey.
--Richard

Tuliptree in Bloom

The tuliptree, also known as tulip poplar or yellow poplar, is in bloom. Tuliptree has a straight trunk and distinctive leaves with four points that resemble the shape of a crown. This large and beautiful tree is a heavy producer of nectar from which honey bees produce a dark colored, robust flavored honey. While not many tuliptrees can be found in the Arkansas delta, a number of them exist on the other side of the Mississippi River. Tuliptrees can be found in the woods and in older neighborhoods like this tree from one of Memphis’ hundred-year-old neighborhoods.

As well as producing nectar for honey bees, tuliptrees are known for producing considerable amounts of honeydew at times. If you click on the photo, you can see that the upper side of some of the leaves appears wet and sticky. This is honeydew, a sugary secretion from chewing insects, like aphids. Honeydew is a sticky substance that is often found covering the surface of cars parked near trees. Honey bees will bring honeydew into the hive and convert it to honey.
--Richard