Dodonaea viscosa

(L.) Jacq.

Sticky hop-bush, Common sand olive

SapindaceaeFruitLeavesSeeds/NutsPotential hazards — see below

fodderfuellandscape architecturemedicinalornamental

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Seeds, Fruit, Leaves

The seeds are used as a condiment, though no further details are given. The bitter fruits serve as a substitute for hops and yeast in brewing beer. The chewed leaves are said to be stimulating, but they contain saponins and are also reported to be mildly cyanogenic, making their use inadvisable.

Known Hazards

The leaves are slightly cyanogenic. They are also said to contain saponins. The seeds contain saponins and have been used as a fish poison. Although quite toxic, saponins are poorly absorbed by the body and most pass straight through without any problems. Saponins can be found in a number of common foods such as some types of beans. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish.

Where to Find It

They suit tropical and warm places. They often grow on rocky, stony or sandy soil. Plants are damaged by frost. In Tasmania it grows near the East Coast. It can grow in semi arid places as well as on the edges of evergreen forest in high rainfall areas. In East Africa it grows from sea level to 2,700 m altitude. It needs a temperature above 3-5°C. It can grow in arid places. It is highly salt tolerant. In Argentina it grows from sea level to 2,800 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 9-11. Melbourne Botanical gardens. Tasmania Herbarium. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Afghanistan, Africa, Andaman Is., Angola, Antigua-Barbuda, Argentina, Asia, Australia*, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Caribbean, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Central America, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo DR, Congo R, Cook Is., Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Easter Island, Ecuador, El Salvador, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, French Guiana, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, Honduras, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Kiribati, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mariana Islands, Marquesas, Martinique, Mauritius, Mediterranean, Mexico, Micronesia, Middle East, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Niue, Norfolk Is., North America, Northeastern India, NW India, Oman, Pacific, Pakistan, Palau, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Rwanda, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, SE Asia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Socotra, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, St Helena, Swaziland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Tasmania*, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad-Tobago, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, UAE, Uruguay, USA, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Wallis and Futuna, West Africa, West Indies, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Antigua & Barbuda, Albania, Armenia, Angola, Argentina, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Barbados, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Bahrain, Burundi, Benin, Brunei, Bolivia, Brazil, Bahamas, Bhutan, Botswana, Belize, Canada, Congo (DRC), Central African Republic, Congo (Republic), Cote d'Ivoire, Chile, Cameroon, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cape Verde, Cyprus, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Algeria, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Spain, Ethiopia, Fiji, Micronesia, France, Gabon, Grenada, Georgia, French Guiana, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Croatia, Haiti, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Japan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Kiribati, Comoros, St Kitts & Nevis, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, St Lucia, Sri Lanka, Liberia, Lesotho, Libya, Morocco, Monaco, Montenegro, Madagascar, Marshall Islands, Mali, Myanmar, Mongolia, Mauritania, Malta, Mauritius, Maldives, Malawi, Mexico, Malaysia, Mozambique, Namibia, New Caledonia, Niger, Nigeria, Nicaragua, Nepal, Nauru, Niue, New Zealand, Oman, Panama, Peru, French Polynesia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, Palau, Paraguay, Qatar, Reunion, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, Seychelles, Sudan, Singapore, Slovenia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Somalia, Suriname, South Sudan, Sao Tome & Principe, El Salvador, Syria, Eswatini, Chad, Togo, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tunisia, Tonga, Turkey, Trinidad & Tobago, Tuvalu, Taiwan, Tanzania, Uganda, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, St Vincent, Venezuela, Vietnam, Vanuatu, Samoa, Yemen, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How to Identify

A shrub or small tree. It can be 10 m high. It can have many stems. The leaves are sticky and are 3-10 cm long. They are narrow with wavy edges. A variety with purple leaves also occurs. The flowers are greenish. Male and female flowers occur on separate plants. The fruit are hops 18 mm long and with wings. They occur in clusters at the ends of branches. They can be red or white. Many different kinds or subspecies of this plant occur. The seed is edible.

How to Grow

Plants are grown from seed. Seed germinate in 3 weeks but they can be slow to germinate. They need a temperature above 18°C. Seeds can be soaked in water at 65°C for 4 minutes and then in cool water for 24 hours. Plants can be pruned often and make a good hedge in windy places. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required. Plants can be grown from cuttings of half ripe wood. Plants need to be transplanted when small or sown directly where they are to grow.

Propagation: Sow seed in spring in a greenhouse — it can be slow to germinate according to some sources, though it has germinated in as little as 3 weeks in a cold greenhouse. Prick seedlings into individual pots once large enough to handle and grow on in a sunny part of the greenhouse for at least their first winter. For outdoor planting, set out in early summer of their second or third year after the last expected frosts, and provide frost protection for the following winter or two. Alternatively, take cuttings of half-ripe wood in July or August and root in a frame.

Medicinal Uses

The leaves are anodyne, astringent, diaphoretic, febrifuge, odontalgic, and vulnerary — the variety angustissima is normally used for febrifuge purposes. Internally, they are used to treat fevers. Externally, they are applied for toothache, sore throats, wounds, skin rashes, and stings. For toothache, the leaves are chewed without swallowing the juice. The bark is used in astringent baths and poultices.

Other Uses

The leaves contain up to 18% tannin. Plants tolerate hard pruning well and make an effective hedge for exposed, windy sites. The wood is heavy, tough, and resistant, and is used for wedges, hammers, turnery, inlay work, and cabinetry.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Dodonaea viscosa, also known as the broadleaf hopbush, is a species of flowering plant in the Dodonaea (hopbush) genus that has a cosmopolitan distribution in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions of Africa, the Americas, southern Asia and Australasia. Dodonaea is part of Sapindaceae, the soapberry family. This species is notable for its extremely wide distribution, which it achieved only over the last 2 million years (from its region of origin in Australia) via oceanic dispersal. Harrington and Gadek (2009) referred to D. viscosa as having "a distribution equal to some of the world's greatest transoceanic dispersers".

Production

It is fast growing.

Other Information

It is a cultivated food plant.

Notes

There are about 70 Dodonea species. They are mostly in Australia.

Names & Synonyms

Akeake, Aliar, Bandara, Bandedu, Benmenu, Broadleaf hopbush, Bururr, Chapulixtle, Chotia, Dingadinganalahy, Hmaing, Hopbush, Iheji, Jakhmi, Kmba, Kudhi-ruuvaali, Lala vao, Lamouaye, Liheji, Mehndi, Meshrass, Mkengata, Mohra, Muia, Musambya, Muwena-muthua, Native hops, Nedeg-deg-ca, Nedege-degeca, Paniaphul, Sanatha, Sand olive, Sentha, Sinatha, Switch-sorrel, Te kaiboia, Unnataruvi, Varnish-leaf, Vassoura-vermelha, Velari, Xayramad

Ptelea viscosa L.Dodonaea angustissima DC.Dodonaea attenuata (A.Cunn.)Dodonaea angustifolia L.f.Dodonaea burmanniana DC.Dodonaea dioica Roxb.Dodonea linearifolia Turcz.Dodonea schiedeana Schltdl.Dodonea thunbergiana Eckl. & Zeyh.and others - some confusion

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