Terms of flowering honey plants in the USA and Canada

According to observations of naturalists and beekeepers.

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Common name:

Borage

Scientific name:

Borago officinalis.

Other common name(s):

Borage, Starflower, Common borage, Cool-tankard, Tailwort.

Life form:

Forb, Herb.

Flowering time:

no data.

Flowering period

in New Brunswick for this plant is: JuneOctober.

NECTAR PRODUCTION: 
200 pounds honey per acre
 
SOURCE FOR HONEY BEES:
Minor, but can be major on cultivated area

General distribution:

Borage (Borago officinalis), also known as a starflower, is an annual herb in the flowering plant family Boraginaceae. It is native to the Mediterranean region and has naturalized in many other locales.

Map of distribution and habitat in Canada

This plant is present in at least 37 states/provinces in this country.

See The Map

Botanical description:

Borago officinalis grows to a height of 60–100 cm, and is bristly or hairy all over the stems and leaves; the leaves are alternate, simple, and 5–15 cm long. The flowers are complete, perfect with five narrow, triangular-pointed petals. Flowers are most often blue, although pink flowers are sometimes observed. White-flowered types are also cultivated. The blue flower is genetically dominant over the white flower. The flowers arise along scorpioid cymes to form large floral displays with multiple flowers blooming simultaneously.

This annual will remain in the garden from year to year by self-seeding.

Seasonal development:

It has an indeterminate growth habit which may lead to prolific spreading. In a temperate climate such as in the UK, its flowering season is relatively long, from June to September. In milder climates, borage will bloom continuously for most of the year.

Borage flowers are particularly attractive to bees – after a bee has visited a flower it refills with nectar within two minutes, making borage a great pollinator-friendly plant for a small garden.

It is unclear to what extent mammalian herbivores in North America feed on the foliage of Borage, which is mildly toxic from the presence of pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Similarly, there is a lack of information about the consumption of seeds by birds and rodents.


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List of honey plants that may be blooming now in New Brunswick
See the entire list

Acer saccharinum (aka: Silver maple, Soft maple)

Aronia arbutifolia (aka: Red chokeberry)

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)

Amelanchier arborea (aka: Common serviceberry, Downy serviceberry, Juneberry, Shadbush, Shadblow, Sugarplum)

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

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

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

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)

Prunus pumila (aka: Sandcherry, Western sandcherry, Eastern sandcherry, Great Lakes sandcherry)

Salix bebbiana (aka: Bebb willow, Beak willow, Beaked willow, Long-beaked willow, Diamond willow, Chaton, Petit Minou, Smooth Bebb willow)

Acer rubrum (aka: Red maple, Scarlet maple)

Ulmus americana (aka: American elm, White elm, Water elm, Soft elm, Florida elm)

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

Acer platanoides (aka: Norway maple)

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

Salix nigra (aka: Black willow, Swamp willow, Southwestern black willow, Gulf black willow, Scythe-leaved willow)

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

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

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

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

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

Brassica napus (aka: Rapeseed)

Allium schoenoprasum (aka: Chives)

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

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

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

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

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