The Genus Agastache As Bee Forage: a Historical Perspective George S
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NCRPIS Publications and Papers North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station 5-1994 The Genus Agastache as Bee Forage: A Historical Perspective George S. Ayres Michigan State University Mark P. Widrlechner United States Department of Agriculture, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/ncrpis_pubs Part of the Agricultural Science Commons, Agriculture Commons, Entomology Commons, and the Plant Breeding and Genetics Commons The ompc lete bibliographic information for this item can be found at http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/ ncrpis_pubs/66. For information on how to cite this item, please visit http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/ howtocite.html. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in NCRPIS Publications and Papers by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Other Side of BEEI<EEPING Department of Entomology George S. Ayers MICHIGAN ST ATE UNIVERSITY East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1115 The Genus Agastache as Bee Forage: A Historical Perspective1 by GEORGES. AYERS and MARK P. WIDRLECHNER2 "We believe the potential benefits of commercial Agastache cultivation for the bee keeping industry are quite exciting. " he September 1992 and January try growing anise hyssop. species is simply referred to as giant hys T 1993 "The Other Side of Beekeep sop. ing" requested reader input about experi Taxonomic overview The most recent taxonomic revision of ences with anise hyssop. This series of the entire genus Agastache was completed articles is our response to your replies. The genus Agastache belongs to the by Lint and Epling ( 1945). The genus Most who made plantings were disap mint family, known in Latin as Lamiaceae Agastache is divided into two sections. pointed, yet historically, very competent or Labiatae. The latter name lost favor Seven species of the first section extend apiculturists thought very highly of anise when a Botanical Congress recommended across most of northern United States and hyssop. In addition, our experiences with that all plant family names end in -aceae. southern Canada with an eighth species this plant and several closely related This is the family to which peppermint, occurring exclusively in eastern Asia. species make us ponder why the responses spearmint, sweet basil, oregano, catnip, Most, if not all, of the apicultural literature were not more positive. In this article, we lavender and many other herbs belong. pertaining to the genus refers to species review the history and biology of the Over the years, the genus Agastache was from this section. The 14 to 19 species genus Agastache as a bee forage. In the given other names, the most common that comprise the second section originate second article of the series, we will use being Lophanthus and Hyssopus. This can in the arid regions of southwestern United this information to speculate on some rea be confusing since at least Hyssopus is still States and Mexico. This group was sons for anise hyssop's poor showing in a recognized genus name. To make the revised taxonomically by Sanders (1987). most plantings. In the final article, we will situation more confusing, plants in the We are unaware of any apicultural litera provide advice for those who would like to genus Hyssopus are also known as hys ture pertaining to this group. None is list sops, e.g., garden hyssop (Hyssopus offici ed, for example, by Sanborn and Scholl nalis L.). In addition, some are also good (1908) in their Texas Honey Plants. I The authors wish to thank Jay Harman and Ed bee forage. Agastache species are often Because of our experience with several Grafius for reviewing this manuscript prior to called giant hyssops and Hyssopus, sim species in the genus, we would not be sur its submittal to ABJ for publication. ply hyssops. This is not, however, always prised if these southwestern species were 2 USDA-Agricultural Research Service, North the case. Often, the "giant" portion of the also attractive to honey bees. Central Regional Plant Introduction Station, name is dropped for Agastache species. Based on cross-pollination experiments Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011. At other times, a specific Agastache (Vogelmann, 1985) and electrophoretic May 1994 341 b r enzyme analyses3 (Vogelmann and England, the southern Great Lakes, Ohio in his Nectar and Pollen Plants of Gastony, 1987) the taxonomy of the North River Basin and the Ozarks that is often California (Van sell, 1931). Scullen and American species still seems unsettled. referred to as yellow or catnip [giant] hys Vansell (1942) mention the species in their This uncertainty in scientific circles is car sop. Agastache scrophulariifolia is also Nectar and Pollen Plants of Oregon only ried over into the commercial seed trade, an eastern North American species whose to say "Usually out of range of bees.... " and seeds purchased under the name of range extends from southern New England Burgett et al. (1989) simply quote Scullen one species may, in fact, be those of south to western South Carolina and west and Vansell. We believe the correct inter another. Even specimens in botanic gar to northern Missouri and southern pretation of this phrase to be that the dens are often mislabeled. Minnesota. It is often referred to as purple species grows where few honey bees exist, Of the 20 North American species list [giant] hyssop or figwort [giant] hyssop. but it may also mean that the nectar is out ed by Lint and Epling, only a few species Agastache rugosa is the only Asiatic of reach of the honey bee's tongue. The appear in the beekeeping literature. By species and is often called wrinkled [giant] latter explanation might explain the 1932 far, most references refer to A. foeniculum hyssop or Korean mint. Only rarely do we visitation pattern reported by Vansell (Pursh) 0. Kuntze which is native to the find references to A. rugosa in the bee (1933). Nye (1971), in his Nectar and northern Great Plains and western Great keeping literature and these largely from Pollen Plants of Utah, mentions A. urtici Lakes region4. This species is often our own writings. We find this a little folia as a honey plant of minor importance referred to as fragrant [giant] hyssop or curious since studies at both Michigan in Utah. It is not, however, mentioned in anise hyssop. The only references to State University and the North Central the earlier Pollen and Nectar Plants of other species in the beekeeping literature Regional Plant Introduction Station indi Utah by Vansell (1949). Oertel (1939) in of which we are aware are for A. urticifo cate that A. rugosa is an exceptional bee his Honey and Pollen Plants of the United lia (Benth.) 0 . Kuntze, A. nepetoides (L.) forage. Our lack of information pertaining States lists a hyssop species from 0 . Kuntze, A. rugosa (Fisch. & C .A . to A. rugosa may result from our inability California and an Agastache species from Mey.) 0 . Kuntze, and in rare instances, A. to track the Asiatic literature as well as Nevada as honey plants. We believe these scrophulariifolia (Wilde) 0 . Kuntze. Of that of North America. We would be sur are most likely A. urticifolia, but they these four, the first is the most commonly prised, however, if the Chinese and could also be one or more of the south mentioned and comes from the Sierra Japanese are unfamiliar with its attractive western species mentioned earlier. Pellett Nevadas, eastern Cascades, Great Basin, ness to bees. mentions the species in only the 1947 edi and northern Rockies. This species is tion of his American Honey Plants5 . often called nettle-leaf [giant] hyssop. Review of the less commonly mentioned Pellett (1920, 1923, 1930 and 1947), J. Agastache nepetoides is an eastern North species as bee forage H. Lovell (1926), H. B. Lovell (1956 and American species native to southern New 1966) and Pammel and King (1930) men Vansell (1933) described a honey sur tion A. nepetoides as being very attractive plus of 100 lbs. per hive in Eldorado 3 Electrophoresis is a powerful analytical tool County, California during July of 1931 that separates complex mixtures of proteins into from A. urticifolia. Interestingly, while 5 There were editions of this book in 1920, their individual components for further analysis. the species appeared equally abundant and 1923, 1930, and 1947. There is also a 1976edi Because proteins are products of genes, the vigorous in 1932, honey bees paid no tion made after the author's death in which the technique provides an indirect method of study attention to it. It was, however, visited text is the same as that of the 1947 edition. ing the genetics of an organism. freely by bumble bees, carpenter bees, but Only some of the figures have been changed. 4 Geographic distributions are derived from terflies and hummingbirds. Curiously, the In this work, the 1947 and 1976 editions will be maps provided in Lint and Epling (1945). same author does not mention this species referred to as the 1947 edition. About the Coauthor I first met Mark Widrlechner about collection from a particular origin is tar so these nucs must be fed. This labo 1985 when he started a bee forage project known as an accession. Mark's Station rious process during the heat of mid-sum at the USDA/ARS North Central keeps nearly 40,000 different accessions mer could be reduced if suitably high Regional Plant Introduction Station, of field crops, forages, vegetables and quality bee forage could be found. That located at Iowa State University, Ames.