be divided into three groups according to their origin — the European, the Japanese, and the American. They are all largely self-sterile in the absence of cross-pollination. Colonies of bees should be placed in all orchards.
POINSETTIA (Euphorbia pulcherrima).—-The poinsettia, a native of Mexico, with its brilliant scarlet bracts, stands first among decorative plants. The yellow extra-floral nectaries secrete nectar so richly that it falls down to the ground in drops. Widely cultivated for ornament, but of no importance as a honey plant in the United States.
POISON OAK OR IVY. — See Sumac.
POPLAR. — See Tulip tree. Also poplar under Pollen-Flowers.
PRAIRIE CLOVER (Petalostemum). — There are half a dozen species, which are common on the dry plains east of the Rocky Mountains. Rees visit the flowers eagerly.
PRICKLY ASH (Xanthoxylum). — There are in the United States five species of prickly ash; shrubs or small trees, with small clustered white or greenish flowers. They bloom in spring, are nectariferous, and are frequently visited by bees. X. americanum occurs from Canada to Virginia, west to Nebraska. X. Clava-Herculis is a very spiny tree or shrub, abundant along the coast from Florida to Texas. In Texas east of the Brazos River it is very abundant, blooming from the middle of April to the middle of May. A surplus is frequently obtained. The honey is light in color and pungent in flavor. It is also common throughout Florida, except on the Keys. The abundant supply of pollen and nectar attracts thousands of bees to the bloom, which appears from April to June. Toothache-tree, pepperwood, and Hercules club. Colima or wild lime (X. Fagara) is common in southern Florida and along the Gulf coast of Texas. It occasionally yields a small surplus. Yellow-wood (X. flavum) is found chiefly in the West Indies. The staminate and pistillate flowers of the above four species are on different trees.
PRICKLY PEAR. — See Cactus.
PRIVET (Ligustrum vulgare). — A shrub with fragrant, small white flowers in terminal clusters. It is used for hedges and has escaped from cultivation in New York, Pennsylvania, and other states. Bees and many other insects gather the nectar. The Japan or California privet (L. japonicum), which is widely used for hedges, produces an abundance of white flowers in panicles. The honey is ill-flavored; and, where the hedges are neglected, so that they bloom, the honey becomes mixed with the major flow, lowering the grade of the whole. Privet is listed as a honey plant in New Jersey, Texas, and Oregon.
PRUNE. — See Plum.
PSORALEA (Psoralea tenuiflora). — The few-flowered Psoralea belongs to the Pulse family. It is a slender herb two or more feet tall, with purple flowers. In the country around Okmulgee, Oklahoma, it is considered a remarkable honey plant. It springs up after the grass has been cut and the wheat harvested.
PUMPKIN (Cucurbita Pepo). — The large yellow flowers yield an amber-colored honey that candies quickly. The pumpkin is believed to have been known to the Indians at the time of the discovery of America.
PURPLE SAGE. — See Sage.
PURPLE-FLOWERED MINT (Mesosphaerum spicatum). — An annual herb considered very valuable by beekeepers in Alachua, Polk, Lake, DeSoto, Pinellas, Hillsboro, and several other counties in Florida. It is abundant in sandy soil along the roadsides, railroads, and in waste places. The honey is medium amber, mild in flavor, and does not crystallize. The small purple flowers are in dense clusters in the axils of the leaves, The plant blooms continuously from the time it is 8 inches