Some Types of Monofloral Honey
| Common name | Origin | Characteristics & Availability | Color |
|---|---|---|---|
| (False) Acacia | Eastern North America and Europe. The main producers are Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania but it is also found in Canada, China, France and Italy. | Acacia honey is actually from a false acacia, Robinia pseudoacacia, commonly known as black locust, a tree native to eastern North America and widely planted in Europe. The honey in the US is sometimes labeled "American Acacia". It has a lower acid content than other honeys. Its high fructose content means that it can stay liquid for a long time. | Ranges from light yellow to almost colorless. |
| Alfalfa | Does not commonly come on the market as a monofloral. | White | |
| Apple blossom | United Kingdom | ||
| Avocado | Dark amber | ||
| Basswood/Lime (linden) blossom (Tilia americana) | Canada, China, Hungary, Poland and the United Kingdom. | Mildly spicy | Water-white or pale, although its coloring depends on the time of collection. |
| Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) | China, Poland, Russia, US, Canada | Buckwheat was an important crop in the US from about 1930 to the 1960s, which has since faded from use, and buckwheat honey has become scarce in the US. A wild buckwheat Polygonum cuspidatum from a close kin that has become established in the US is naturally more mild than the familiar buckwheat, and sometimes is used to blend with buckwheat, or sold separately as a monofloral called "bamboo." A recent study has shown buckwheat honey to be more effective than over-the-counter cough syrup at treating childhood cough. It has a strong, distinctive taste and it is often compared to molasses in both color and viscosity. | Very dark amber |
| Cherry blossom | United Kingdom | ||
| Chestnut | Italy | A dark honey with one of the highest mineral contents of all honeys. | Yellowish-brown |
| Chinese Tallow Tree | Southeastern US | Tallow trees produce a very heavy honey flow around May 15th in the Southeastern states into Texas. Honey is dark with a tangy taste. Considered a nuisance and an invasive. | Dark amber |
| Clover | Canada, United States, Sweden and New Zealand. | Genuine monofloral clover is rare, as most light, mild-flavored honeys are mixed and called clover for the retail trade. Generally has a waxy aftertaste. | White to pale |
| Eucalyptus | Common in Australia and in Western Cape in South Africa | Monofloral Eucalypt honeys include Jarrah, Yellow Box, Grey box, Blue Gum, River Red Gum, Ironbark, Stringybark and Messmate. (Tasmanian Leatherwood honey is considered a delicacy, but is not a Eucalypt honey) | Light amber to medium-dark red |
| Fireweed | Northwestern US, Western Canada | Fireweed honey is produced in great quantities in some areas of western Canada and northwestern US and is considered a premium monofloral. | Amber |
| Fynbos | Western Cape in South Africa | Fynbos honey is produced in great quantities in some areas of Western Cape in South Africa. It comes from several species of "fynbos" found in the Cape Floral Kingdom. It is considered a premium honey with a strong spicy taste. | Amber |
| Gallberry | Southeastern United States | Has a rich but not overpowering flavor and is produced almost exclusively in the coastal Southeast. | Very dark amber |
| Goldenrod (genus Solidago) | With acid soil, adequate moisture and good foraging weather during the autumn bloom, bees can make large quantities of honey from it. Much of it is sold for bakery use, but in some areas it has become a favored monofloral honey. Has a rank odor. | Amber | |
| Hawthorn | United Kingdom | ||
| Common Heather, Ling | Mainly from moorland in the United Kingdom | ||
| Jarrah | Jarrah(Eucalyptus marginata) is a native tree unique to Western Australia (WA). | ||
| Jujube, or Yemen Sidr | Yemen, Pakistan | Traditional honey with reputed health benefits. Found in the desert areas of Yemen, Pakistan's potohar region Sidr trees are also known as Jujube, or Ziziphus zizyphus. | Yellowish-brown |
| Kamahi | New Zealand | The creamy colored flowers of this common tree are very attractive to bees. | Light amber |
| Kiawe | |||
| Lavender | Produced mainly in France and Spain | Woody, floral | Light yellow |
| Leatherwood (Eucryphia lucida) | Tasmania | A strong floral aroma, with very strong distinctive taste. | Dark amber |
| Lehua | Hawaii | Lehua Honey is made from the lehua (blossoms) of the ʻōhiʻa lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha), and is probably the rarest Hawaiian Honey. It is liquid when harvested from the hives but turns into a creamy, sturdy honey after a couple of weeks. | |
| Macadamia | Dark amber | ||
| Manuka | New Zealand and Australia | Manuka honey is from bees who feed on the flowers of the Manuka bush, also known as the "Tea Tree" to produce a honey that has anti-bacterial properties. Tea tree oil is commonly from the related Melaleuca tree native to Australia and is used as a topical antibiotic and antifungal for wounds that fail to close. | |
| Mesquite | Southwestern U.S. | The mesquite tree is prized for its sweet-smoky smelling wood, primarily used in barbecues and meat smokers. The honey produced from its flowers also has this distinctive smoky aroma. | Dark brown and viscous. Remains semi-crystalline even in hot weather. |
| Nodding thistle, or Musk thistle (Carduus nutans) | Worldwide | Considered a noxious weed in many areas of the world, but produces a good honey. | Light amber |
| Orange blossom | France, Mexico and Spain; United States (Arizona, California, Texas, and Florida) | Is actually made from mixed citrus nectars. It is a thick, very sweet honey. Strong aroma. | Light amber to white, the lighter color and milder flavor coming in years when there is a large harvest and the honey is little contaminated by other nectars. |
| Tulip tree, or Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) | Southern Appalachia, US | Tulip tree is actually not a poplar, but the honey called "poplar" is a favorite regional monofloral honey. | Dark amber or black, when held to the light may appear reddish. |
| Raspberry | US | Available in some areas where raspberries are grown commercially. | |
| Rata (Southern rātā, Metrosideros umbellata) | New Zealand | One of several species of Metrosideros but is the one that most regularly produces a honey crop, though sometimes it is in short supply. | Very white when pure |
| Rewarewa | New Zealand | The honey flavor is malty. Rewarewa, Knightia excelsa, was called New Zealand Honeysuckle tree. | Reddish amber |
| Rosemary | France, Italy and Spain | ||
| Saguaro | Southwest US and Northwest Mexico | Tends to crystallize and be somewhat chunky. Not good for use in tea. | Ranges from light yellow to dark yellow/brown. |
| Sage (Salvia) | Sage honey almost never crystallizes. | ||
| Sourwood | Southeast US, especially Appalachia | Thin and complex, tasting almost like clover honey initially, with a characteristic faint sour aftertaste. | Straw colored. |
| Star Thistle (Centaurea solstitialis) | US, California | Thick and simple tasting honey. It has no aftertaste and is considered a milder version of clover honey in taste. | Light golden yellow |
| Sunflower | France and Spain | Because sunflower honey crystallizes quickly, becoming soft and easy to spread, it is often consumed in its crystallized state. | Pale yellow |
| Tawari | New Zealand | "The nectar is copious and very watery producing a prolific honey crop... often with a high final moisture content... fructose." Ixerba brexioides. | Light |
| Wild thyme | New Zealand, Greece. | Thyme honey is the most popular honey produced in Greece. Thyme continues to flourish today in New Zealand's Central Otago. | |
| Tupelo | Southeastern US | Made from trees of the genus Nyssa which are native to wetlands of southeastern USA. In many areas the forests have been cut over, greatly reducing the supply of the honey. It is favored for some uses because it is very slow to granulate. Northern Florida is a major producer. Honey that is certified by laboratory analysis as purely tupelo brings a premium price. | |
| Ulmo (Eucryphia cordifolia) | Chile | Taste and aroma of aniseed, jasmine, vanilla and cloves, with a touch of tea and caramel. Compared to Manuka Honey as a medicinal. | Amber |
| Viper's Bugloss | New Zealand | This wild flower covers the hills of central South Island during summer months. The seed was once used as a treatment for snakebite, which gives the plant its name. |
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