POLLEN MORPHOLOGY OF SOME TRIFOLIUM SPECIES WHICH ARE FAVORITE PLANTS OF HONEY BEES IN ISTANBUL

Abstract

The genus Trifolium L. is one of the most important genera of the family Fabaceae and for the honey bees. This agriculturally valuable genus is represented by 100 species in Turkey of which and 54 occur in Istanbul. In this study, 6 districts of Istanbul have been chosen where honey is produced by beekeepers and the plant sources were identified and kept in ISTE (the Herbarium of the Faculty of Pharmacy of Istanbul University) herbarium. According to our observations, Trifolium species are the favorite plants for honey bees in Istanbul. The pollen morphology of 16 Trifolium taxa have been examined using Wodehouse (1935) method.