Pollen analysis of honey from Chubut (Argentinean Patagonia)

Abstract

The pollen content of 140 samples collected between 1995 and 2004 was used to characterise the honey and determine the source of nectar that Apis mellifera L. uses in Chubut (Argentinean Patagonia). A diverse spectrum of 139 pollen types from 53 families was identified with the Asteraceae and Fabaceae being most frequent. Forty‐eight per cent of the samples analysed were classified as monofloral, whereas the remaining were multifloral. Predominant pollen types were: Tamarix gallica L. (Tamaricaceae), in twenty‐one samples; Rosaceae and Melilotus spp. (Fabaceae) in nine samples; Trifolium spp. (Fabaceae) in eight; Medicago sativa L. (Fabaceae) in six; Aristotelia chilensis (Molina) Stuntz (Elaeocarpaceae) in four; Colletia/Discaria (Rhamnaceae) in three; Escallonia spp. (Saxifragaceae) in two; Eucalyptus spp. (Myrtaceae), Myrtaceae, Phacelia secunda J. F. Gmel (Hydrophyllaceae), Prosopidastrum globosum (Hook & Arn) Burkart (Fabaceae), and Schinus patagonica (Phil) I. M. Johnst. (Anacardiaceae) in one sample. Thirty per cent of the identified pollen corresponded to native flora. Six native taxa made up 18% of the monofloral honey. They included: Prosopidastrum globosum, Colletia/Discaria‐type, Phacelia secunda, Schinus patagonica, Aristotelia chilensis and Escallonia spp. All of these are new monofloral types in Argentina. Characteristic pollen associations gave a geographical identity to these honeys.