The Common Hop is a perennial, herbaceous, twining vine native to Europe. It has naturalized in North America and may persist up to 20 years. At the end of the growing season, this plant will die back, leaving its roots to form the next years' growth. The stems can to cut back once the plant has died. Having male and female flowers on separate plants, this plant is dioecious. The female flowers are formed in clusters at the tips of the plants stalks, from the leaf axils and at the branch tips. Each 3/4" cluster can have 10 to 50 pairs of flowers, each enclosed by a green/yellow bract. They are blunt at their tips and have yellow glands at their base. Female flowers have no petals but do have 2" long styles. Male flowers also form in clusters, however they differ from the female flowers. Male flowers form in clusters with up to 100+ flowers, each have 5 spreading sepals and 5 short stamens. The tips are dotted with yellow glands. In order to produce seeds, both male and female plants are required. Flowers are wind pollinated. The leaves are mostly opposite, palmately 3-7-veined and usually 3-lobed. Fruits appear in an elongated cluster, each small, dry, and enclosed in a sac-like, papery bract. This vine is drought tolerant and needs good drainage. It is grown commercially for its seeds, which are dried and used as a flavoring in the production of beer. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious insect or disease issues. Contact with skin can cause dermatitis in some. A supporting structure such as a fence, wall, trellis or pergola is necessary to allow the plant to climb.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt)
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Wet
Available space
Less than 12 inches; 3 feet-6 feet
NC region
Coastal; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 15 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
6 - Vine (vertical)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Climbing
Texture
Medium
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf margin
Lobed; Serrate
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, > 6 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Mostly opposite, palmately 3-7-veined and lobed foliage. Leaves range from 1 to 6" long and wide. While the upper side of the leaves is hairless, the underside has soft hairs along the veins.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Green; White
Flower value
Fragrant; Showy
Flower form
Panicle
Flower shape
Cup
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Male and female flowers bloom from mid-summer to fall. The small flowers are fragrant. Female flowers have thread like styles and no petals, while the male flower has 5 sepals and stamens. Flowers can have a hint of pine or citrus fragrance.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit color
Green
Fruit value
Edible
Fruit size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Fruit detail
Cone-like elongated cluster, each small, dry, enclosed in a sac-like, papery bract. They are used in making beer.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
The Green stems are branched. Scattered hairs along the stem face downwards and are used by the plant to grab onto other vegetation or structures to climb.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
US native, Europe to Siberia and N. Iran, Morocco
Distribution
AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC. ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX. UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY
Wildlife value
Butterflies are attracted to the flowers. Host plant for the Red Admiral and Question Mark.
Attracts
Butterflies
Play value
Attractive Flowers; Easy to Grow; Fragrance; Wildlife Larval Host
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Fruit
Harvest time
Fall; Winter
Edibility
Fruiting cones used for brewing beer.
Uses (ethnobotany)
Extract from the fruit bracts are used as a flavoring in the production of beer.
SKIN IRRITATION MINOR, OR LASTING ONLY FOR A FEW MINUTES. Skin irritation with blisters upon contact. Dogs: panting, high body temperature, seizures, death.