Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Dodonaea viscosa

Male flowers and leaves (subsp. angustifolia). Photographer Russell Best, near Mallacoota, Vic

Leafy stems with young seed cases (subsp. angustifolia). Photographer Don Wood, Boyne State Forest north of Batemans Bay

Line drawings (subsp. angustifolia). a. leaves and seed case. M Moir, National Herbarium of Victoria, © 2021 Royal Botanic Gardens Board

Ripe seed cases and leaves (subsp. cuneata). Photographer Don Wood, Black Mountain, Canberra

Line drawings (subsp. cuneata). c. leaves and male flowers. M Moir, National Herbarium of Victoria, © 2021 Royal Botanic Gardens Board

Male flowers and leaves (subsp. angustissima). Photographer Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, western NSW

Female flowers and leaves (subsp. angustissima). Photographer Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, western NSW

Leafy stem with ripe seed cases (subsp. angustissima). Photographer Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, western NSW

Line drawings (subsp. angustissima). a. leaves and seed case. M Moir, National Herbarium of Victoria, © 2021 Royal Botanic Gardens Board

Male flowers and leaves (subsp. spatulata). Photographer Don Wood, Bungonia State Conservation Area east of Goulburn

Young seed cases and leaves (subsp. spatulata). Photographer Don Wood, Nullica State Forest west of Eden.

Line drawings (subsp. spatulata). a. leaves and seed case. M Moir, National Herbarium of Victoria, © 2021 Royal Botanic Gardens Board

Shrub. Photographer Alex Watt, Lake Googong east of the ACT

Common name

Hop-bush, Sticky hop-bush, Narrow-leaved hop-bush (subsp. angustissima), Wedge-leaf hop-bush (subsp. cuneata)

Family

Sapindaceae

Where found

Dry forest, woodland, shrubland, rocky areas, and along river valleys.

subsp. angustifolia:  Widespread.

subsp. angustissima:  Widspread. Rarely coastal south of Kiama.

subsp. cuneata:  Kosciuszko National Park, the mountains to the north, and and Western Slopes. Sydney area, and ranges and tablelands west from the Sydney area.

subsp. spatulata:  Widespread. Rarely coastal south of the Sydney area.

subsp. spathulata-subsp. cuneata intergrade occurs in the ACT.

Notes

Shrub to 5 m high. Branchlets cylindrical, or angled to flattened, sometimes slightly ribbed, hairy to hairless. Young stems slightly sticky or resinous. Leaves alternating up the stems, 0.8–14 cm long, 1–18 mm wide, shiny to sticky, margins entire to irregularly wavy or toothed. tips pointed or blunt. Male and female flowers on different plants, or male flowers and bisexual flowers on some plants, and female flowers and bisexual flowers on others. Flowers green, brown to straw coloured, or red, with 0 petals, and 3-5 sepals about 2-9 mm long. Flowers in clusters. Seed cases 3- or 4-winged, green, pink, red, or purple, papery.

subsp. angustifolia:  Shrub to 5 m tall. Leaves mostly 5.5-14 cm long, mostly 5-10 mm wide, tapering at tips and base, margins smooth, occasionally wavy, tips pointed. Leaf stalks 6.5-18 mm long.

Rare Vic.

subsp. angustissima:  Shrub to 4 m tall. Leaves 1.1-9.5 cm long, 1-6 mm wide, with a length-width ratio of at least 7.4:1, tips pointed or blunt. Leaf margins often toothed, wavy, or rough. Leaves stalkless or with stalks to 10 mm long.

Leaf shape intergrades with subsp. spatulata.

subsp. cuneata:  Shrub to 3 m high. Leaves 0.8–3.8 cm long, 4–12 mm wide, usually with a length-width ratio of less than 3.5:1, usually wedge-shaped, margins entire to irregularly wavy. Leaf tips blunt to squared off, often with a tiny mucro continuing from the midvein, sometimes notched, sometimes irregularly 2–3-toothed. Leaves stalkless or with stalks to 10 mm long.

Leaf shape intergrades with subsp. spatulata. Hybrids of Dodonaea viscosa subsp. cuneata and Dodonaea boroniifolia occur in areas of overlapping distribution.

All native plants on unleased land in the ACT are protected.

subsp. spatulata: Shrub to 4 m high. Leaves 2.3-9 cm long, 5–18 mm wide, with length-width ratio of less than 7.5:1, usually spoon-shaped or narrow spoon-shaped, margins entire to irregularly wavy or toothed. Leaves stalkless or with stalks to 10 mm long.

Leaf shape varies greatly, intergrading with subsp. angustissima and with subsp. cuneata.

All native plants on unleased land in the ACT are protected.

PlantNET description of species and key to subspecies:   http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Dodonaea~viscosa  (accessed 12 January, 2021)