Sources of London Honey

Abstract

IT is well known that the main nectar flow in the London area comes from the limes (Tilia spp.) and to a lesser extent from the privet (Ligustrum). In some seasons privet predominates and the resulting honey is dark in colour with a slight greenish cast and has an unpleasant flavour with a bitter aftertaste. The honeys that were the subject of my note¹ could not be mistaken for privet honey. The colour of the Ailanthus honey is a pale amber with a more definite green tinge than any other honey I have seen. Mr. Farmiloe² has evidently misunderstood my description of the flavour. It is quite distinct from that of privet honey, which does not develop the muscatel flavour. The cat-like odour referred to is that of tom-cat urine and differs from both Ribes nigra leaves and the musky smell of mice. The odour of Ailanthus flowers is strong and similar to that of fresh elder flowers (Sambucus nigra), which changes when they wilt to the tom-cat odour. The odour of Ailanthus leaves is different from that of either fresh or wilted elder flowers, but it is irrelevant to this discussion. Another point confirming Ailanthus as the source of the cat-like and muscatel flavours is that there was no marked difference of flavour between the two honeys, although in 1944 there was nearly five times as much privet pollen present as in 1943.