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Trees Bees Use
Antigonon leptopus - Coral Creeper
S Sadakathulla, R Rajendran, R Mohan and S M Jalaluddin, India
Antigonon leptopus
© S Sadakathulla
Apicultural value
Antigonon leptopus is a good source of both pollen and nectar for bees.
Names
Coralita, Confederate vine
Family: Polygonaceae
Description
Not a tree, but a climbing plant, indigenous to South America, but now found throughout the tropics.
Flowers
White, pink and red flowers in copious racemes which terminate with tendrils in all the terminal shoots of the branches of the creeper.
Flowering
early summer to late autumn and throughout the year in some areas. In each florescence a mean of 41.6% of open flowers are seen at any time.
Uses
Coral creeper is used in hedges and fences, and for bowers and thatch to cover the roofs of sheds and houses. The attractive white and pink flowers are widely used in flower displays.
Notes
In Tamil Nadu, India, the major visitor to Antigonon leptopus is the Asian hive bee Apis cerana (78%), with the little bee Apis florea and the dammer (stingless) bee, Melipona iridipennis at 10% and 3% respectively. Also, a few Diptera (flies) can be found early in the morning between 0730-0830 hours.
