Ecological Characteristics of the Melliferous Flora of Počitelj

Abstract

Melliferous flora consist of plants that bees use as a source of food, collecting nectar, pollen, honeydew from some plants, or materials for propolis. The diversity of honey flora is important for maintaining healthy apiaries, for beekeeping research, and for the production of high-quality and quantitative honey. The aim of this research was to investigate the richness and diversity of honey flora species in Počitelj (FBiH). Floristic research was conducted during the 2024 growing season, from spring to late autumn. 120 honey plants were recorded at the researched locations, classified into 44 families, of which the most numerous are the Lamiaceae family with 17 species and the Fabaceae family with 16 species. Analysis of the life forms of honey flora in the Počitelj area shows the presence of five life forms. The dominance of hemicryptophytes with 37% and phanerophytes with 34% of melliferous species is noticeable, which gives this flora a hemicryptophytic-phanerophytic character. The analysis of floral elements, or phytogeographic analysis of the melliferous flora of Počitelj, shows the presence of 18 floral groups, with the highest representation of cultivated and adventive plant species (CUAD) with 28 species (23%). This paper presents the richness of melliferous plants in the Počitelj area, which, in addition to beekeeping, has a significant impact on the use in medicinal and other traditional purposes, and because of these values, excessive picking and endangerment of individual plants often occur.