British Plants and Flowers – Common hop

Name – This plant has the wonderful botanical name of Humulus lupulus, which sounds like the new star of some toddlers’ TV programme!

Description - Climbs up to thirty feet if allowed and supports itself by twining around other plants or supports.

Origin - Germination is challenging for this plant, so be patient and do not discard seed once sown as it can often germinate the following year – however, once you get the conditions right, the Common Hop is prone to self-seeding, so check where you had last year’s plant to see if you have seedlings coming up, before sowing new seed. If you need to raise plants from seed, sow it from late autumn in a mix of coarse sand and compost, and place the pots or trays in a cold frame or even outdoors for the weather to break the seed dormancy. Seedlings should be planted out the following spring or early summer if weather is very cold or damp. While young shoots are harvested for culinary use in the spring, the flowers are harvested in the autumn. At one time hops were grown in almost every region of the UK, but they are now confined largely to counties of the south east, where they are still grown and harvested for use in beer production, but also in pet foods, herbal treatments and so on. Hops used to be handpicked by Londoners and other ‘townies’ who were given bed and board in the countryside in return for their work as pickers.

For Decoration – Both the flowers and leaves are highly scented, and the dried flowering heads of female plants are used as a flavouring and preservative in beer. The young leaves can be added to salads or steamed. A mildly sedative tea is made from the leaves and cones, and dried hops are also added to sleep pillows.

British plant hop photograph by SuperFantastic, used under a creative commons attribution licence

 

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