Plant Type

Tree, Shrub

 

Height Range

12-25'

 

Flower Color

White

 

Flower Season

Spring

 

Leaf Color

Dark Green

 

Bark Color

Grey

 

Fruit Color

Brown

 

Fruit Season

Summer, Fall

Sun

Full, Half, Shade

 

Water

Low

 

Growth Rate

Moderate, Slow

 

Soil Type

Sandy, Clay, Loam, Rocky, Unparticular

 

Soil Condition

Average, Rich, Poor, Well-drained, Dry

 

Soil pH

Neutral, Basic

 

Adverse Factors

n/a

Design Styles

Meadow, Ranch, Woodland

 

Accenting Features

Showy Flowers

 

Seasonal Interest

Spring

 

Location Uses

Background, Shrub Border, Walls / Fences

 

Special Uses

Hedge, Screen, Mass Planting

 

Attracts Wildlife

Butterflies

Hop tree is a deciduous, densely rounded shrub or small tree, native to the Midwest and the Rockies. Typically grows 10 to 20 feet tall and wide. Features compound, trifoliate, shiny, dark green leaves which turn greenish yellow in autumn. Terminal clusters of tiny white flowers appear in late spring, but are not particularly showy. Flowers give way to pendulous seed clusters, each seed being encased in a thin, circular, winged disc, similar in appearance to elm, which mature to brown in late summer and persist through most of the winter. This tree has several very descriptive common names: (a) hop tree (in reference to a prior use of the seeds as a substitute for hops); (b) wafer ash (in reference to the thin, wafer-like appearance of the seed; and (c) stinking ash (in reference to the unpleasant smell of not only the flowers but also bruised foliage and bark). A great tough tree/shrub for borders, but maybe not one to use by the patio?

Grow in well drained soil in part to full shade; tolerates full sun but will need more water than is normally recommended. Tolerates a wide range of soil types including clay and rocky soils, as long as they are well draining. Good choice for dry-shade areas. Its nature is to be shrubby, but it may be pruned to be a multi-stemmed tree, though the pruning will be on-going, to some extent.