Dodonaea viscosa seed
LATIN NAME: Dodonaea viscosa
COMMON NAME: Broadleaf Hopbush, Hopseed Bush, Sticky Hopbush
The broadleaf hopbush is a hardy and generous shrub of the warm world, and its glossy, sticky leaves and its papery, hop-like fruits have made it a valued plant of the dry gardens and the landscapes of many lands. It grows as a large, evergreen shrub or small tree of the soapberry family, reaching up to five metres, with a rounded crown of narrow, glossy, sticky, green or purplish leaves and, in the warm season, the small, inconspicuous, greenish-yellow flowers, the plants being either male or female, followed, on the female plants, by the remarkable, papery, three-winged, hop-like fruits, which turn from green to a rich pink, red or brown and give the plant its name of the hopbush. It is a species of the soapberry family, and it has a cosmopolitan distribution in the tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions of Africa, the Americas, southern Asia and Australasia, while it is a hardy and valued plant of the dry garden.
The broadleaf hopbush belongs to the soapberry family, Sapindaceae, and it is a species of flowering plant in the Dodonaea, the hopbush genus, which has a cosmopolitan distribution in the tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions of Africa, the Americas, southern Asia and Australasia. It is known as the broadleaf hopbush or the hopseed bush, and it is prized for its glossy leaves and its papery, hop-like fruits.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The broadleaf hopbush has a genuine and growing place in both ecological and horticultural research. It has been studied in ecology, since it is a hardy shrub of the warm world, found across the tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions of many lands, and researchers have examined its growth, its tolerance of the drought, the wind and the poor soil and its role in the coastal and the dry communities, while the use of the plant in the stabilising of the soil and the reclamation of the dry lands has been examined, and the tough, adaptable shrub has drawn attention in the international restoration and ecology press as a plant of the many lands. The shrub has also been studied in horticulture, since it is a valued plant of the dry garden and the landscape, prized for its glossy foliage and its papery fruits, and researchers have examined its cultivation, its many forms and its value in the landscape, while its tolerance of the drought and the wind has made it a valued plant of the coastal and the arid gardens, and its papery, hop-like fruits have drawn attention in the international gardening press. The species has also been studied in the chemistry of the natural products, since the leaves and the bark contain a range of the compounds, and researchers have examined their content and their potential uses, while the traditional uses of the plant in the region have been examined. For a shrub of such hardiness, the broadleaf hopbush has a rich and growing record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the broadleaf hopbush is a generous shrub of the warm world. Its small flowers feed the bees and the insects, and its papery fruits and its dense, leafy crown give shelter and seed to the birds, while it is a hardy presence in the coastal scrub and the dry woodlands of many lands.
Its economic value is real. It is a valued plant of the dry garden and the landscape, prized for its glossy foliage and its papery fruits, and its hardiness has drawn attention in the international restoration and ecology press as a plant of the many lands, while it is also used in the hedging and the windbreaks of the warm regions. For a grower, the broadleaf hopbush is an easy and hardy shrub, and for a gardener in a warm, dry region it brings glossy foliage and papery, hop-like fruits. The seeds have a thin coat and take well to a simple step — soak them in warm water for a day, then sow them in a pot of gritty, free-draining compost in a warm, sunny spot, keep them lightly watered, and they’ll be sprouting within a couple of weeks, growing on into a hardy, glossy-leaved shrub.
Dodonaea viscosa 'Purpurea' (Purple-leafed Hop-bush) evergreen shrub reaches 12 to 16 feet tall and about as wide, more upright when young spreading out with age. Narrow bronzy-green 4 inch long leaves turn purple with cooler weather.
Tolerates some shade but color is better if grown in full sun. Tiny green flowers in clusters mid-summer followed by brown maple-like seed capsules in late summer.
Provide a well draining soil, drought tolerant once established but looks best with occasional deep water. Ideal for use as a specimen or as an informal hedge or screen. Prune for structure in fall and winter.
