Abstract

Vegetation in the border region of Sinaloa and Chihuahua, Mexico, comprises Tropical Deciduous Forest (TDF), Pine Forest (PF), Oak Forest (OF), and Riparian Vegetation (RV). 50 individuals were interviewed across 10 villages and documented 279 melliferous/polliniferous species belonging to 203 genera and 69 families, with Fabaceae (25 species) and Asteraceae with 23 being the most prominent. Of these, 95 species occurred in wild habitats within TDF; 53 were classified as weeds (W), 51 as crops (C), and 44 as ornamentals (O). In addition, 15 species were found in PF, 11 in RV, and 10 in OF. Notably, 88.5% of the reported plant species were both nectariferous (N) and polliniferous (P), while the remaining 11.4% were exclusively polliniferous. The most common growth forms were herbs (H) with 78 species, followed closely by trees (T) with 77. Flowering phenology was dominated by spring (S) (51.9%) and summer (Su) (32.9%). Among the documented species, occasional (O) forms (73 species), abundant (A), and rare (R) forms, with 70 were most prominent. The melliferous plants most highly valued by local people included Stenocereus montanus (100%), Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum (96%), Randia echinocarpa (94%), Wimmeria mexicana (90%), and Vitex mollis (88%).

Key words: Vegetation, nectar, pollen, beekeeping, Sierra Madre, Sinaloa, Chihuahua, melliferous plants.