Preliminary Survey of Poisonous, Useful and Medicinal Bee Plants in Ethiopia: Review

Abstract

Introduction: Ethiopia is one of the world's hotspot areas in biodiversity including poisonous, useful and medicinal higher honey bee plants. However, some are poisonous and lethal to honey bees and humans. This attracts attentions across the globe. There are major gaps in knowledge of exploring local poisonous, useful and medicinal honey bee flora of the country.

Aim: The main purpose of this review was so survey of poisonous, medicinal and useful honey bee plant species, document the most common poisonous plant species to Ethiopia and the world; and then to reach on conclusion in comparison of different authors findings.

Methods: Various studies from different electronic data bases(Google scholar, Science direct, PubMed, Scopus) and from repositories were searched and assessed on the poisonous, useful and medicinal honey bee plants of Ethiopia.

Discussion: Flowering plants provide nectar and pollen or both for bees. However, some species are poisonous to honey bees. Sixty nine poisonous honey bee plant species belonging to 33 families were found as result. Highest number of species were recorded in Ericaceae (7) followed by Solanaceae (6) and Fabaceae (6). Ranunculaceae and Solonaceae represented with 5 species each. Most of them exist as exotic (37) whilst 26 of them were nativespecies.  Datura stramonium, corynocarpus laevigata, piptadenia stipulate, Echium plantagineum, Erythrina fusca, Thevetia peruviana etc. are invasive species while Euphorbia heterophylla, Lupinus perennis, Lupin albus L, Brugmansia aurea, Euphorbia cotinifolia, Nerium oleander, Delphinium elatumand Asclepias syriaca L are mainly planted for Ornamental purposes. And also, few of them are Invasive and parasitic plants (Lathraea clandestine where it parasites the root of various plants especially legumes, Cuscuta species like Cuscuta abyssinica A. Rich, C. australis and C. acutaetc.

In Conclusion, Future studies that look into the simultaneous impacts of poisonous, useful and medicinal bee plants on bee keeping activity would more accurately illuminate our understanding of the underlying relationships.