Just in case there is any confusion regarding the initial post on
"fireweed" Dr. Ramadan was referring to "Senecio madagascariensis" which is
a yellow flower that is a member of the daisy family (it even looks like a
daisy) and is found in large areas in Australia. The "fireweed" mentioned
most commonly in the U.S. as a honey plant is "Epilobium augustifolium"
which has many pinky purple flowers on a single stalk. Epilobium is common
in much of the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. where deforestation has
occurred or a fire has recently cleared trees. Bees make a truly premium
honey from it. As far as I know the plant does not contain any toxins and
Native Americans even used the leaves and flowers to make tea.


Some URLs:
Senecio: http://nb.au.com/nswweedsoc/NoxiousWeeds/Fireweed.html
Epilobium:
http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/wilderness/wildflowers/fireweed.htm


Stephen Augustine
Bees By The Bay



>The PA's are naturally present in the pollen. The fireweed plant
>"creates" it. Just as these alkaloids are in plants such as comfrey
>(mostly in the roots) and cause the same type of damage if ingested.
>This is not a foreign "agent" that is sticking to the pollen. Fireweedi
>is present in large numbers in other areas and the honey is sold - a
>recent post on another group said it was very light in color and flavor.
>