Side by side
Hop or grapevine? How to tell them apart
Humulus lupulus · Vitis vinifera
How to tell them apart – hop: rough twining climber with opposite, vine-like lobed leaves and, in late summer, green ‘hop cones’; grapevine: woody, with alternate leaves, tendrils opposite the leaves and grapes.
How do you recognise them?
- Hop
- Rough twining climber with opposite, vine-like lobed leaves and, in late summer, green ‘hop cones’.
- Grapevine
- Palmately lobed, coarsely toothed leaves, tendrils opposite the leaves and bunches of grapes.
- Compared with hop: woody, with alternate leaves, tendrils opposite the leaves and grapes.
| Hop | Grapevine | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Opposite, 10–15 cm, palmately 3–5-lobed (sometimes unlobed near the top), coarsely toothed and rough. | Alternate, 3–5-lobed, coarsely toothed, 10–20 cm. |
| Flowering | Dioecious: male plants with loose panicles of small yellowish-green flowers, female plants with green, cone-shaped flower heads, July–August (July–August). | Small, greenish, fragrant flowers in clusters (June) (June). |
| Fruit | Hop cones: pale green little cones (2–4 cm) of overlapping scales with yellow, bitter-smelling glands (lupulin), August–September. | Grapes in bunches, green to bluish-black (September–October). |
| Bark | Angular stems with hooked hairs that feel rough; they die back in autumn and regrow from the rootstock every spring. | Older stems with bark that peels in long strips. |
| Shape and height | Climber, twines 4–8 m every year | Climber, up to 10 m, usually pruned short |
| Site | Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, normal | Full sun, any garden soil, normal |
| Native to Belgium | Yes | No, planted |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | – | Yes, for birds |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | November–March | June–July and December–January |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Hop is native: it feeds more insects and birds than a non-native species. If in doubt, choose this one.
Read on
- Plant profile: Hop
- Plant profile: Grapevine
- Hop: when and how to prune
- Grapevine: when and how to prune
- Identification key
Also looks like
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.