Hop tree. Wafer ash

Description:

Small tree or multi trunked shrub. Compound leaves, 3 medium sized leaflets that have a strong smell when crushed. Flowers are yellow green, in clusters with new leaves. Fruit is round, flat, paper like wings that are green, turning to tan.

Habitat:

In shaded woodlands, often near streams.

Notes:

Early settlers used the fruit, instead of true hops, to make beer. Its bark and roots also have been used as a substitute for quinine in the treatment of malaria.