hop. 1 3 



Description. — From a perennial, ligneous, branching root, pro- 

 ceed several tough, flexible, striated, scabrous, slightly angular 

 stems, which twine in a spiral manner around neighbouring plants 

 in hedges, to the height of ten to twenty feet ; and round poles 

 as high as thirty feet. The leaves are opposite, the upper often 

 alternate, petiolate, cordate, from three to five-lobed, sometimes 

 simple, serrated, veiny, rough to the touch, being covered with 

 minute asperities, of a deep-green colour, accompanied at the base 

 by two small entire reflexed stipulae. The male flowers are small, 

 yellowish-white, and disposed in axillary and terminal pendulous 

 racemes, the peduncles subtended by small lanceolate bracteag : the 

 perianth consists of five oblong, concave leaves ; the five stamens 

 are very short, with capillary filaments, and oblong two-celled 

 anthers, opening by two terminal pores. The female flowers are 

 supported on axillary, opposite, short, bracteated peduncles, and are 

 composed of numerous ovate, obtuse, membranous scales or 

 bractese, of a pale greenish-yellow colour, imbricated so as to 

 form an ovoid cone or strobile ; each bractea has in its axil two 

 other scales (calyx of some writers) of much smaller size, incurved 

 at the base, and each enclosing a small superior oblong germen, 

 surmounted by two villous reflexed styles, with simple stigmas. 

 The seed is roundish, compressed, margined, covered with a dry 

 membranous integument of a reddish-brown colour, and sessile at 

 the base of its scale, which is sprinkled with a resinous bright- 

 yellow farina. Plate 27, fig. 2, (a) female flower; (b) calycine 

 scale when the fruit is ripe; (c) fruit ; (d) a raceme of male flowers ; 

 (e) male flower, magnified ; (/) stamen, magnified. 



This plant is not uncommon in thickets and hedges in this 

 country, and is completely naturalized, if not truly indigenous. It 

 also occurs wild in most European countries, and on the banks of 

 the Missouri, and other places in North America. It flowers from 

 the end of June throughout July.* 



The generic name is said to be derived from humus, moist 

 earth, as Hops flourish best in rich moist soils. v Lupulus is a 

 diminutive of lupus, a ivolf; because, according to Pliny,f the 

 plants suffered to grow among osiers, strangle and destroy them, 



* Hence the adage, — 



" Till St. James'- day be come and gone, 

 You may have hops, or you may have none." 

 t Hist. lib. i. c. 15. 



