Flora of New Zealand Series

hop

Dioecious or monoecious climber, with extensive roots. Stems striate, up to 10 m long and clothed in rough deflexed hairs. Lvs broadly ovate, not lobed or deeply 3-5-lobed; lobes acute to acuminate, serrate, ± glabrous to sparsely hairy above, ± glabrous to moderately hairy with yellow glandular hairs below. Petiole usually ± = lf blade. Stipules 2 per node and 2-fid or 4 per node and entire. Bracts of ♀ fls triangular, hairy, green, elongating and becoming yellowish at fruiting to form a cylindric-ovoid infructescence (the hop) with yellow glandular hairs especially at base of bracts. Calyx of ♂ fls ovate-triangular, green, hairy. Achene ovate-ellipsoid, covered by glandular calyx.

N.: Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Lake Waikaremoana, Taupo, Wellington Province; S.: common in Nelson, N. Westland, C. and S. Canterbury, also recorded from Blenheim, Otago Peninsula, and Riverton (Southland).

Europe, W. and C. Asia 1872

Waste places, riverbanks, deserted gardens, often scrambling over scrub or trees at forest margins.

FL Jan-Feb FT Feb-Mar.

Humulus has been revised recently by Small, E., Syst. Bot. 3: 37-76 (1978). He recognised 5 vars for H. lupulus; both cultivated and wild plants in N.Z. fall within H. lupulus var. lupulus. This var. is cultivated for the glandular ♀ infructescence which is used in brewing; plants escaped from cultivation are now well-established, persistent weeds in some areas.