# Bee plant with distinctive leaf Identification



## AdamBeal (Aug 28, 2013)

I noticed my bees bringing in lots of light yellow pollen from this plant in my yard does anyone know what it is? It has very distinctive leaves and very tiny white blooms.

































Thanks,

Adam


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

The flowers look like white sweet clover gone to seed. The leaves don't look quite right. Are those three pointed leaves from the same plant as the blossoms? White sweet usually has more like three leaved groups of single elliptical leaves rather than single leaves with three points.


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## AdamBeal (Aug 28, 2013)

Yeah Michael the leaves from the flowering plant have 3 prongs looks kind of like a glove or something. You can see the leaves good in pic 2. The plant itself is 6 or 7 feet tall. Bees all over it every one of them with pollen on legs.


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## Westhill (Jul 26, 2012)

Giant Ragweed (Ambrosia trifida). My bees are loaded up with pollen from it too. I wonder if the "ambrosia" refers to nectar/honey?


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## FlowerPlanter (Aug 3, 2011)

Rag weed, one of the lower percent protein pollens. 

You might have hives starved for protein, I would give them some pollen sub.

I have never seen bees work it, and we have lots of it.


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## trottet1 (Jul 18, 2013)

I was going to guess pokeberry/pokeweed. It just hasn't got the ripened berries yet.


Oops never mind. I went back and looked again after I posted. The leaves aren't individual points rather groups of 3 as was pointed out above.


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## Slow Drone (Apr 19, 2014)

Giant Ragweed as Westhill has stated.


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## Sharpbees (Jun 26, 2012)

It is commonly called horseweed here in KY. Not sure how good the nutritional value is but bees work it for huge loads of pollen this time of year. They only work it for a few hours in the mornings here.


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## AdamBeal (Aug 28, 2013)

Thanks for the replies giant ragweed or horseweed it is. From watching my hives a percentage of bees are bringing in pollen from this ragweed but it is less in volume to the darker yellow pollen that most are bringing in right now I would guess from the goldenrod which is blooming all around me.


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