by Natarsha McPherson
Your Adelaide Park Lands are home to many kinds of plants, but it’s not always easy to identify them.
Continuing this series, Know Your Park Lands Plants, we take a closer look at the plants that call your Park Lands home.
The sticky hop-bush (Dodonaea viscosa) is one of 60 endemic Australian species from the genus, Dodonaea.
It's been recorded in the West Terrace Cemetery and on the Wirrarninthi environmental trail (both in Park 23) and also in the Bush for Life revegetation site in Golden Wattle Park /Mirnu Wirra (Park 23).
Originating from Australia, the sticky hop-bush has spread far and wide to numerous continents, establishing within tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions across the globe.
Image: Pam Quick (iNaturalist).
Within the species, seven recognised subspecies can be identified, with variations in size, appearance, and distribution.
In your Adelaide Park Lands, you will likely encounter the subspecies, Spatulata, a plant extensively distributed within South Australia and surrounding states. Here, the plant grows as a shrub, often reaching heights between one and four metres.
Leaves are generally shiny and covered in resin, but to distinguish from other species, their leaf shape is often a good indicator. Generally, leaves are ovate and taper to a narrow end at their base, with a typical length between 2-8cm and width between 0.5-1.5cm.
Image: Brad (iNaturalist).
Male and female flowers are carried on separate plants during the spring and summer months. However, their inconspicuous appearance – (being under 1cm in diameter) and lacking petals – makes them challenging to notice from a distance.
Image: Insiderelic (iNaturalist).
Prompting their name, the papery fruit that develops from the female flowers resembles ‘hops’, appearing also winged and ranging in colour from green to purple-red as they mature.
Image: Caesia (iNaturalist).
Pollination for these fruits relies upon wind dispersal, and the lack of flower petals is thought to facilitate the effectiveness of this process.
Within the fruits, enclosed seeds are small (2mm in length), black, and hardy. Subsequently, the bright and contrasting colours of the fruits are attractive to birds and are the primary dispersal mechanism.
To distinguish against other similar subspecies, such as Cuneata and Angustissima, it is best to pay attention to not only distribution, but differences in size and leaf form.
Image: Martin Rady (iNaturalist).
Other subspecies, such as Cuneata (above), have more angular-shaped leaves while Angustissima (below) demonstrates very narrow, fine foliage.
Image: Jennytathome (iNaturalist).
Want to know more about the plants in your Park Lands? Head over to iNaturalist, where you can record, share, and discuss your findings with fellow naturalists.
See the other plants featured in our series here.
Main photo: Rbeaz (iNaturalist).
