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Humulus japonicus

Common name:	Japanese Hop	Family:	Cannabidaceae
Author:	Siebold.& Zucc.	Botanical references:	58, 200
Synonyms:	Humulus scandens ((Louriero.)Merrill.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - Japan.
Habitat:	Thickets and roadsides in lowland areas all over Japan[58].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	H. japonica[HORTIPLEX] H. scandens auct. non[P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Japanese Hop [P,H,B], Lai Mei Ts'Ao [E], Lei Ts'Ao [E], Lu Ts'Ao [E],
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China

Physical Characteristics

Perennial Climber growing to 6m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from July to August, and the seeds ripen from September to October. The scented flowers are dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required) and are pollinated by Wind. The plant not is self-fertile. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge.

Edible Uses

Leaves.

Young leaves and young shoots - cooked[105, 177, 179]. Use before the end of May.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Diuretic Tonic.

Diuretic, genito-urinary tonic[178].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Easily grown in a good garden soil in sun or semi-shade[1, 200]. Prefers a deep rich loam[1]. A fast growing plant, with annual stems of up to 10 metres long being produced[219].
Plants rarely survive the winter outdoors in Britain, so are best grown as annuals[219]. This report needs confirmation since the plant is also reported as being hardy in zone 5 which would mean that it should succeed outdoors virtually anywhere in Britain[K].
A climbing plant, supporting itself by twining around the branches of other plants[219].
The bruised leaves are refreshingly aromatic whilst the flowers cast a pleasing scent[245].
Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame[37]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in spring as new growth begins[1]. Take the divisions when the new shoots are about 10cm above ground level. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.
Basal cuttings in March. Harvest the shoots when they are about 10 - 15cm long with plenty of underground stem. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.

Scent

Flowers: Fresh: The flowers cast a pleasing scent.
Leaves: Crushed: The bruised leaves are refreshingly aromatic.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Humulus japonica (a possible synonym).

[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Humulus scandens (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[37] Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. 1878
Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[178] Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre
A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.

[179] Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977
A translation of an ancient Chinese book on edible wild foods. Fascinating.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[219] Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. Gardening on Walls Collins 1983 ISBN 0-00-219220-0
A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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