Say "howdy" to the Texas Hop Tree (Ptelea trifolata), a member of the Rutaceae plant family which includes the familiar citrus fruits like lemons, limes, and oranges. The Hop Tree unfortunately does not bear any tasty fruits but it does make lovely spheres of white flowers in the spring. This tree is highly adaptable and has a wide native range in North America, spanning Mexico, Texas, the Southwestern USA, and the Southeastern USA. In the UK, my Hop Tree grown from a seed collected in Austin, Texas, is thriving and growing bigger every year. My Hop Tree may be the subspecies P. trifoliata pallida since it came from Texas. German Texans once used the seeds as a substitute for hops in local beer making, hence the popular name.

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