Rise and fall of Stachys annua (L.) L. in the Carpathian Basin: a historical review and prospects for its revival

Stachys annua(L.) L., a melliferous archaeophyte plant became a dominant weed of the cereal stubbles of the Carpathian Basin in the medieval three-field system. By the middle of the nineteenth century, this plant provided more than two-thirds of the Hungarian honey production, and its high quality monofloral honey turned into a characteristic brand of the Hungarian apiculture. Recognizing its importance,S. annuaalso briefly became a minor crop cultivated in “bee gardens” and arable fields in the late nineteenth century, possibly also in response to the first signs of its upcoming decline. Starting with the advent of the steam plough, the twentieth century has brought a drastic decline forS. annuadue to a combination of deeper and earlier tillage operations, agrochemicals, and new competing weed species (in particular the common ragweed,Ambrosia artemisiifolia). The last remnant stands of this previously dominant weed species are of considerable ecological and historical value as farmland biodiversity hotspots. These sites are important refuge for rare weeds, wild pollinators (including bumblebees), and declining farmland birds, which could be targeted by eco-schemes under the European Union’s (EU’s) greening Common Agricultural Policy. The rediscovery of the cropping potential ofS. annuaand the development of an appropriate technology would also allow its cultivation as a valuable bee forage, catch crop, green cover, or oilseed plant in the future.