Common Hop The plant from which modern cultivars for flavouring beer were developed, Humulus lupulus is a vigorous, twining, dioecious ( Male / Female on separate plants) herbaceous perennial climber, not native to Ireland. The attractive leaves are deeply divided into 3-5 lobes, rather like a vine leaf in appearance, with a rough surface and toothed edges.  The yellowish-green male and female flowers are borne on different plants, appearing from July to September. Male flowers grow in a branching group, while female flowers are cone-shaped, ripening from light green to brown, producing a resinous, yellow powder with a distinctive yeasty, apple-like scent – the hops. Lovely grown through a fruiting hedge, and the hops can be used to flavour and preserve your home-brewed beer. The plant is good for wildlife, but hops are toxic to dogs. It is the larval food-plant of the comma butterfly. Cut back to ground level in spring. These plants are unsexed. Site: ShelteredSoil: Well-drained, moist, acid to neutral soilPosition: Full sunSeason of interest: Spring to autumnHardiness: Fully hardyHeight: 20’ (6m) Spread: 20’ (6m) Photo taken by Luc T. and licensed under CC BY 2.0.