Dodonaea viscosa, the Sticky Hop-bush, has winged fruits which are covered with a protective sticky resin. Sap sucking aphids feeding on these fruits are farmed by ants for their ‘honeydew’ secretions.
Ants farming aphids
Lobe-leaf Hopbush flowering and fruiting
Dodonea lobulata, the Lobe-leaf Hopbush, grows 1-3m in the Flinders Ranges. Three-winged fleshy fruit is distinctive while flowers are small and without petals.
Brilliant Hopbush flowering: Arkaroola
Brilliant Hopbush (Dodonea microzyga) flowering in stony ground at Arkaroola, July.
Narrow-leaf Hop-bush
