Monofloral Honey
Definition
Honey in which one plant species dominates the pollen assemblage (typically above 45% of the pollen sum), reflecting predominant bee foraging on that species. Examples: Manuka, Acacia, Heather, Lavender, Thyme.
- Threshold
- Typically above 45% of the pollen sum
- Examples
- Manuka, Acacia, Heather, Lavender, Thyme
- Analysis method
- Melissopalynology, pollen assemblage counting
- Reflects
- Predominant bee foraging on one plant species
Common questions
Why does honey authentication rely on pollen percentages rather than taste or colour?+
Taste and colour can be affected by processing, storage, or blending, while the pollen assemblage is a direct microscopic record of what plants the bees actually foraged, making it a more objective basis for verifying a monofloral claim.
Can a honey be legitimately labelled monofloral even if it contains pollen from several plant species?+
Yes, because the threshold is a dominance percentage rather than exclusivity, so trace pollen from other flowering plants in the foraging area is expected and does not disqualify the monofloral designation.
Related terms
- Honey Reference Collection
- A set of pollen slides prepared from fresh flowers of honey-plant species, used for comparison when identifying pollen in honey samples. Differs...
- Indicator Plant
- A pollen type whose presence in a honey assemblage is highly diagnostic of a geographic origin because the plant only grows or...
- Melissopalynology
- The study of pollen in honey and bee products to determine botanical origin, geographic provenance, and product authenticity.
- Multifloral Honey
- Honey produced from diverse plant sources with no single taxon dominant. Also called polyfloral or wildflower honey. The pollen assemblage reflects the...
- Pollen Count (Louveaux Method)
- A quantitative assessment of pollen grains per 10 grams of honey. Below 10,000 grains per 10g suggests adulteration by dilution. The method,...