ABSTRACT
Ornamental plants are distinguished by the shape and color of their
leaves/flowers and their use in landscaping and gardening. In urban areas,
their presence is relevant for the maintenance of bees. Aiming to list the
ornamental bee plants species occurring in Santa Catarina State (SC), southern
Brazil, a survey of forage resources for bees, recorded in the State, was
performed. We refer all published works developed in SC (resulting in the
period 1983-2014) which include data from reports of scientific research,
monographs, dissertations, Masters Dissertations, Doctoral Thesis, annals of
scientific events, scientific articles and books. From the 28 ensuant works, we
listed, as ornamental bee plants occurring in SC, 201 species, of 156 genera
and 66 botanical families. Of these species, 92 are native (N), 26 endemic to
Brazil and 109 exotic (E). Families with more ornamental bee species are:
Fabaceae (22 species), Asteraceae (20), Solanaceae (11), Rosaceae (10) and
Lamiaceae (8). The most cited species are: Lantana
camara L. (N) (Verbenaceae) (9 quotes), Aloysia
virgata (N) (Ruiz & Pav.) Juss. (Verbenaceae) (8), Hedychium coronarium J. Koenig (naturalized) (Zingiberaceae) (6)
and Brachyscome multifida (E)
(Asteraceae) (5), regarding habitus,
herbs (48.5%) predominate, followed by bushes (21.5%), trees (16.5%) and vines
(10.5%). Preferred colours of flowers by bees are, in decreasing order: white,
yellow, red/pink, and others. The genus Ipomoea, Calliandra, Passiflora, Prunus and Senecio have more ornamental bee plant
species. A large botanical diversity arises, demonstrating the possibilities
for urban bee foraging and ornamental featuring, in a perspective of
sustainability.
Share and Cite:
Silva Mouga, D. , Feretti, V. , Sena, J. , Warkentin, M. , Santos, A. and Ribeiro, C. (2015) Ornamental Bee Plants as Foraging Resources for Urban Bees in Southern Brazil.
Agricultural Sciences,
6, 365-381. doi:
10.4236/as.2015.63037.