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Dodonaea viscosa
Also called Hopbush, Hopseed Bush, Jamaica Dogwood, Purple Hop Bush, Broadleaf Hopbush, Giant Hopbush, Hopshrub
Florida hopbush (Dodonaea viscosa) is a tough, fast-growing shrub or small tree, widely planted as a hedge, windbreak and garden shrub in warm climates. It thrives in full sun and well-drained soil and tolerates drought, salt and wind.
Dodonaea viscosa, also known as the broadleaf hopbush, is a species of flowering plant in the Dodonaea (hopbush) genus that has a cosmopolitan distribution in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions of Africa, the Americas, southern Asia and Australasia. Dodonaea is part of Sapindaceae, the soapberry family.
This species is notable for its extremely wide distribution, which it achieved only over the last 2 million years (from its region of origin in Australia) via oceanic dispersal. Harrington and Gadek (2009) referred to D. viscosa as having "a distribution equal to some of the world's greatest transoceanic dispersers".
Dodonaea viscosa can be grown from seeds. However, pre-treatment of the seed in very hot water may be needed. The plant can also be cultivated by taking cuttings. Sometimes this method is also used to obtain female plants with their winged fruits for the aesthetic value. Hopbush can survive long dry periods and is easily cultivated without heavy feeding. Due to it being frost sensitive, it grows best under shelter in well-drained, moist soil with full sun. It can grow in a variety of areas but should not be planted in places prone to fire because it burns quite easily.
Dodonaea viscosa is a shrub, with a wide distribution in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. D. viscosa leaves secrete a white resinous substance with allelopathic effects. In coastal regions of Brazil, D. viscosa reduced the abundance of other native species by five times compared to open sites and exhibited a strong negative interaction strength, indicating an interfering interaction pattern.
The wood is extremely tough and durable. In New Zealand, where it is the heaviest of any native wood, the Māori have traditionally used it for making weapons, carved walking staves, axe-handles, and weights on drill shafts. D. viscosa is used by the people from the western part of the island of New Guinea, Southeast Asia, West Africa and Brazil for house building and as firewood. Its leaves may also be used as plasters for wounds.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Dodonaea viscosa by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
