Humulus lupulus
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| Species: | H. lupulus
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| Binomial name | |
| Humulus lupulus | |
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Humulus lupulus (common hop or hop) is a species of flowering plant in the Cannabaceae family, native to Europe, western Asia and North America.[2] It is a dioecious, perennial, herbaceous climbing plant which sends up new shoots in early spring and dies back to a cold-hardy rhizome in autumn.[3]
Hops are described as bine plants rather than vine because, unlike vines, they have stiff downward facing hairs that provide stability and allow them to climb.[4] These shoots allow H. lupulus to grow anywhere from 15–20 ft.[2] Hops have fragrant wind pollinated flowers[5] that attract butterflies.[2]
The female cone shaped fruits from H. lupulus are used by breweries to preserve and flavor beer, and as such is widely cultivated for use by the brewing industry.[3] The fragrant flower cones, known as hops, impart a bitter flavor, and also have preservative qualities.[6] H. lupulus contains myrcene, humulene, xanthohumol, myrcenol, linalool, tannins, and resin.
Etymology
The genus name, Humulus is a Medieval name that was at some point Latinized, while the specific epithet, Lupulus, is Latin for small wolf.[2] The name refers to the plants tendency to strangle other plants, mainly osiers, like a wolf does a sheep.[4] Hops could be seen growing over these willows so often that it was nick named willow-wolf.[2] Meanwhile, the English word hop is taken from the Anglo- Saxon word hoppan meaning to climb.[4]
Description
H. lupulus can grow to be 10 meters tall and because it is a perennial herbaceous plant it goes through several growing seasons sometimes living up to 20 years.[4] H. lupulus has simple leaves that can be opposite or alternate with 3-5 lobes.[7] The staminate flowers do not have petals, while the pistillate flowers’ petals completely cover the fruit. The cones found on female plants are called strobili.[8] The fruit of H. lupulus is an achene meaning that the fruit is dry but does not split open at maturity.[7] The achene is surrounded by tepals and lupulin secreting glands are concentrated on the fruit.[9][10]
H. lupulus grows best in the latitude range of 38°-51° in full sun with moderate amounts of rainfall.[3] It uses the longer summer days as a cue for when to flower[11] which is usually around July/ August.[12]
H. lupulus can cause dermatitis to some who handle them. It is thought that about 1 in 3000 people are affected by this.[10]
Varieties
The five varieties of this species (Humulus lupulus) are:
- H. l. var. lupulus – Europe, western Asia
- H. l. var. cordifolius – eastern Asia
- H. l. var. lupuloides (syn. H. americanus) – eastern North America
- H. l. var. neomexicanus – western North America
- H. l. var. pubescens – midwestern North America [13]
Many cultivated varieties are found in the list of hop varieties. A pale, ornamental variety, Humulus lupulus 'Aureus', is cultivated for garden use. It is also known as golden hop, and holds the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit (AGM).[14]
Domestication
H. lupulus is first mentioned in 768 CE when King Pepin donated hops to a monastery in Paris. Cultivation was first recorded in 859 CE, in documents from a monastery in Freising, Germany.[15]
Use in Brewing
The chemical compounds found in H. lupulus are main components in flavoring and bittering beer. Some other compounds help with creating foam in beer. Chemicals such as linalool and aldehydes contribute to the flavor of beer. The main components of bitterness in beer are iso-alpha acids, with many other compounds contributing to the overall bitterness of beer.[16] Until the middle ages, Myrica gale was the most common plant used for brewing beer.[15] H. lupulus took off as a flavoring agent for beer because it contains preserving agents, making the beer viable for longer.
Pests and diseases
Animal pests
- Hop leaf aphid (Phorodon humuli)
- Red spider mite (Tetranychus urticae)
- Japanese Beetle (Popillia japonica)
Diseases
Popularity
H. lupulus was voted the county flower of Kent in 2002 following a poll by the wild flora conservation charity Plantlife.[17]
Research
- H. lupulus contains xanthohumol, which is converted by large intestine bacteria into the phytoestrogen 8-prenylnaringenin, which may have a relative binding affinity to estrogen receptors.[18]
- H. lupulus extract is antimicrobial, an activity which has been exploited in the manufacture of natural deodorant.[19]
- Spent H. lupulus extract has also been shown to have antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activities, raising the possibility this waste product of the brewing industry could be developed for medical applications.[20]
- Extracts of the bitter alpha-acids present in H. lupulus have been shown to decrease nocturnal activity, acting as a sleep aide, in certain concentrations.[21]
See also
References
- ^ The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species, retrieved 2 February 2016
- ^ a b c d e "Humulus lupulus - Plant Finder". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org. Retrieved 2017-04-12.
- ^ a b c "Habitat & Adaptation". bioweb.uwlax.edu. Retrieved 2017-04-13.
- ^ a b c d Conway, Sean (Spring 2008). "Hummulus lupulus - Hops" (PDF). Food for Thought: The Science, Culture, & Politics of Food. 235: 15.
- ^ "Hops, Humulus lupulus, plant facts - Eden Project". www.edenproject.com. Retrieved 2017-04-12.
- ^ Langezaal CR, Chandra A, Scheffer JJ (1992). "Antimicrobial screening of essential oils and extracts of some Humulus lupulus L. cultivars". Pharm Weekbl Sci. 14 (6): 353–356. doi:10.1007/bf01970171. PMID 1475174.
- ^ a b "Humulus lupulus (common hop, hops): Go Botany". gobotany.newenglandwild.org. Retrieved 2017-04-13.
- ^ Snyder, Reid (Hamilton College). "Humulus lupulus - Hops" (PDF). Hamilton College.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Humulus lupulus | CLIMBERS". climbers.lsa.umich.edu. Retrieved 2017-04-02.
- ^ a b "Humulus lupulus". hort.purdue.edu. Retrieved 2017-04-02.
- ^ "HerbalGram: Hops (Humulus lupulus): A Review of its Historic and Medicinal Uses". cms.herbalgram.org. Retrieved 2017-04-08.
- ^ "Hop, Humulus lupulus - Flowers - NatureGate". www.luontoportti.com. Retrieved 2017-04-13.
- ^ "NCGR Corvallis - Humulus Germplasm : USDA ARS". www.ars.usda.gov. Retrieved 2017-04-08.
- ^ "Humulus lupulus 'Aureus' AGM". RHS Plant Selector. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
- ^ a b Behre, Karl-Ernst (1999). "The history of beer additives in Europe - a review". Vegetation History and Archaeobotany: 35–48.
- ^ . doi:10.1002/j.2050-0416.2011.tb00471.x/asset/j.2050-0416.2011.tb00471.x.pdf http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/store/10.1002/j.2050-0416.2011.tb00471.x/asset/j.2050-0416.2011.tb00471.x.pdf?v=1&t=j1qr8dsg&s=f82746474fe24332c8d300aa8504f97861f3892b.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Plantlife website County Flowers page
- ^ Milligan SR, Kalita JC, Heyerick A, Rong H, De Cooman L, De Keukeleire D (June 1999). "Identification of a potent phytoestrogen in hops (Humulus lupulus L.) and beer". J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 84: 2249–52. doi:10.1210/jcem.84.6.5887. PMID 10372741.
- ^ "Hops [CO2] Extract". Toms of Maine. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Rozalski M, Micota B, Sadowska B, Stochmal A, Jedrejek D, Wieckowska-Szakiel M, Rozalska B (2013). "Antiadherent and Antibiofilm Activity of Humulus lupulus L. Derived Products: New Pharmacological Properties". BioMed Research International. 2013: 101089. doi:10.1155/2013/101089. PMC 3794639. PMID 24175280.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ Franco, L.; Sánchez, C.; Bravo, R.; Rodriguez, A.; Barriga, C.; Juánez, Javier Cubero (2012-06-01). "The sedative effects of hops (Humulus lupulus), a component of beer, on the activity/rest rhythm". Acta Physiologica Hungarica. 99 (2): 133–139. doi:10.1556/APhysiol.99.2012.2.6. ISSN 0231-424X. PMID 22849837.
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