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Bhoca - a bee forage plant

Bhoca - a bee forage plant © Shiny Rehel

by Shiny Rehel, Keystone Foundation, Tamil Nadu, India

Apicultural value
Pterolobium hexapetalum is a major source of nectar and pollen for the honey bees Apis dorsata, Apis cerana and Apis florea. Trigona sp also forage on the flowers, but Apis dorsata is the predominant forager. The honey harvested from Apis dorsata colonies is very sweet, slightly watery and has a pleasant aroma.

Botanical Name
Pterolobium hexapatalum

Family
Caesalpinaceae

Names
In Tamil language Karuindu, Telugu language Walekadula

Pterolobium hexapetalum is indigenously named as Bhoca in the Nilgiris by the Irula community. Bhoca originates from the foot hills (Mettupalayam) up to the hills (Kotagiri). During March and April you can see the profuse, mass flowering of Bhoca, like a floral mat laid on the tree canopies. It is a characteristic species of dry deciduous forest in this part of South India.

Pollen grains
Spherical, tricolporate

Botanical description
Pterolobium hexapetalum is an extensive straggler, with long, arching branches.

Leaves - compound, leaflets oblong-oblanceolate
Flowers - in axillary or terminal racemes, yellowish white colour
Pod - samaroid, oblong, apically winged red pod
Seeds - solitary at base, obovoid

First published in BfD Journal #82