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Japanese Hop
Humulus japonicus
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A climbing annual herb growing along roadsides and riverbanks. Sharp prickles on the stems and leaves help it cling to and smother other plants, forming large colonies. It is dioecious, with female plants producing cone-like fruit clusters. It is in the same genus as hops, used in beer production.
Identification Points
- βDense downward-pointing prickles on stems and petioles
- βLeaves are palmately 5β7-lobed
- βFemale plants bear cone-like (ball-shaped) fruit clusters
Habitat
Roadsides, riverbanks, wastelands, and forest margins
Season
AugustβOctober (flowers and fruit clusters)
Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf dissection
Dissected
Leaf shape
Palmate
Growth form
Vine
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Habitat
Roadside
Petal fusion
Free
Stipules
Present
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Ovary position
Superior
Compound type
Palmate
Phylogenetic Positionγ’γ΅η§ β
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core eudicots > Rosids > Rosales > Cannabaceae
Divergence Era
Paleogene (approx. 55β50 million years ago)
Evolution Notes
Cannabaceae (formerly part of Moraceae) includes many dioecious species specialized for wind pollination. The bitter compounds in beer hops (humulone) are synthesized in the glandular trichomes of female flowers.
View on evolution timeline βSources & References
AI-generated, needs verification