Consulta Plantas

Care of the shrub Dodonaea viscosa or Sticky hop bush

The genus Dodonaea, family Sapindaceae, comprises 70 species of shrubs and trees native to Asia, America, Africa and Australia. Some species are: Dodonaea viscosa, Dodonaea procumbens, Dodonaea humilis, Dodonaea cuneata, Dodonaea spatulata.

Common names: Hopbush, Native Hops, Sand Olive, Switch sorrel, Sticky hop bush. This species has a cosmopolitan distribution in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions of Africa, the Americas, southern Asia and Australasia.

They are aromatic evergreen shrubs with resinous branches that reach 5 meters (16.4 feet) in height. The leaves are elongated, leathery and sticky in texture and green in color; in the Atropurpurea variety they are purple. The flowers are small, green in color and are not decorative. They bloom in winter. The decorative reddish-purple samara-shaped fruits appear in spring.

They are used for formal and informal hedges, for windbreaks, as isolated specimens and to fix sandy slopes; they are ideal for Mediterranean coastal gardens. Branches bearing fruit are used for floral decorations.

Dodonaea viscosa needs full sun exposure; they resist high temperatures well and also frost.

They can grow in well-drained soils: sandy, limestone or stony. They are useful as pioneer plants to restore impoverished soils. Planting is done in spring.

Water regularly and thoroughly; they can tolerate drought and flooding.

Prune in fall to maintain a compact appearance.

They are fast-growing plants that are resistant to pests and diseases and pollution in large cities.

They propagate by semi-woody cuttings or by seeds sown in spring previously submerged in very hot water; they germinate in 3-5 weeks.

Images of the shrub Dodonaea viscosa or Sticky hop bush