Hop Goodenia

Goodenia ovata

Also known as Hop Native Primrose, Forest Goodenia

At a glance

Family

Goodeniaceae

Type

Evergreen shrub

Parts used

Leaves

Size

3 to 6 feet tall and wide (1 to 2 meters)

Bloom

Cheerful yellow, fan-shaped flowers, often nearly year-round in mild climates and heaviest in spring and summer

Habitat

Coastal forests, woodland margins, and creek banks across southeastern Australia

Acquisition

Grow or buy

This plant in HerbSense

Key benefits

✦

Traditional skin-soothing wash

Historic hops substitute

Hardy, low-fuss shrub

Draws bees and butterflies

Traditional uses

✦

Long before European settlement, Aboriginal Australians in Goodenia ovata's home range knew the plant well, and its soft, faintly sticky leaves found a place in traditional skin care, crushed or steeped into a wash for irritated skin. Early colonial settlers gave the plant its common name after discovering that its bitter leaves could stand in for true hops when brewing beer far from any hop yard, a bit of resourceful bush ingenuity that has stuck to the plant's name ever since. Today it is better known to Australian gardeners as a forgiving, fast-growing native that fills shady corners with gold and keeps the local bees busy.

How to grow & use it

✦

🔒

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Pairs well with

✦Calendula
✦Tea tree (Melaleuca)
✦Plantain

Substitutes

✦Hops (Humulus lupulus)
✦Calendula

Choose it when

“For the shady garden corner that needs cheerful gold flowers and a hardy, no-fuss native.”

Did you know?

Goodenia ovata earned its common name from thirsty colonial brewers who, lacking true hops in early Australia, steeped its bitter leaves into their beer instead, a fact still baked into the plant's name today.

Safety

Hop Goodenia hasn't been closely studied and its traditional use is external rather than internal, so it shouldn't be taken by mouth. Pregnant or nursing women and anyone with sensitive skin should patch test before external use.