Dodonaea viscosa Seeds | Hopbush
LATIN NAME: Dodonaea viscosa
COMMON NAME: Hopbush, Hopseed Bush, Native Hop
Plant Profile
Dodonaea viscosa, commonly known as Hopbush, is a bushy, evergreen shrub in the soapberry family, native to a very wide range of warm regions of world, while it is grown as a tough, wind-resistant shrub of gardens and the coasts. Hopbush is a tough and handsome evergreen shrub of warm coasts and dry hills, and it is one of the most widely distributed of the shrubs of the warmer world. Mature plants top out at about Five metres. Its appeal to pollinating insects adds a second, ecological layer to its ornamental one. These traits together are what have kept the plant in gardens for so long.
Science & Biotechnology
Botanists studying the soapberry family regularly include Dodonaea viscosa in comparative work, and the species also appears in horticultural trials aimed at gardeners and growers. For a shrub of such hardiness, broadleaf hopbush has a rich and growing record of research. Contemporary seed practice means a grower can raise it confidently with standard techniques.
Uses & Benefits
Hopbush works well in borders, containers and dedicated beds. Ecologically, broadleaf hopbush is a generous shrub of warm world. Its small flowers feed bees and insects, and its papery fruits and its dense, leafy crown give shelter and seed to birds, while it is a hardy presence in coastal scrub and dry woodlands of many lands. For a grower, 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. Once it has settled, the workload drops to almost nothing.
Hop bush is a tough, colorful drought shrub; Aboriginal Australians used its resinous leaves in traditional poultices.
Growing from Seed
Starting Hopbush from seed is simple and satisfying. Scatter the seed evenly over a loose seed compost, cover to no more than its own depth, and keep the pot moist and bright. Shift the seedlings into small pots as soon as they can be handled, and give them bright light until planting-out time.
Our Take
As a bushy, evergreen shrub, it settles into a routine quickly once established. Few garden plants carry such a documented history of use as this one does. Its wants are few — a sunny spot, soil that drains, and time to settle in.
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