Three-leaved Hop-tree

Ptelea trifoliata

Pollinator Value

🐛 Larval Host: Papilio cresphontes (Giant Swallowtail), Papilio glaucus (Eastern Tiger Swallowtail), Eupithecia miserulata (Common Pug)
S14 host records filtered to ON/QC range; S4 confirms Tiger + Giant Swallowtail; S3 confirms Giant Swallowtail and Common Pug

Proximity Score: 1
Native Status: ❌ Outaouais ❌ Ottawa ❌ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction: S
CEC Eco-Regions: 8 – Eastern Temperate Forests, 8.1 – Mixed Wood Plains, 8.1.1 – Eastern Great Lakes and Hudson Lowlands
Rarity Notes: SARA Schedule 1 Special Concern (listed 2005-12-01). COSEWIC Special Concern. National rank N3 in Canada. In Ontario ranked S3 (Vulnerable); restricted to Carolinian zone in southernmost ON. Quebec rank SNA indicates the species is not considered native to the province [S22+S26].
S22+S26
Rarity Ranks: QC SNA – Not Applicable, ON S3 – Vulnerable
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: An understory tree or tall shrub of dry rocky slopes, sand dunes, alluvial thickets, and woodland edges. In Ontario restricted to the Carolinian zone with S3 ranking, occurring on limestone bluffs, sandy shores of Lake Erie, and stabilized dune ridges. One of the northernmost members of the Citrus family (Rutaceae) in North America [S7+S10+S22].
S7+S10+S22+S4

Roles: Fortress/Barrier
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fortress/Barrier: S61 keyword match: thorns? (supporting signal only)]
Notes: Suitable for woodland garden sunny edge, dappled shade, or hedge planting. Associates with Quercus, Vitis riparia, Zanthoxylum americanum, and Prunus in natural settings. Resistant to honey fungus.
S29+S7

Category: Anthelmintic, Antibacterial, Antiperiodic, Stomachic, Tonic
S29 PFAF medicinal categories; S28 Moerman Drug uses
Notes: Root bark used traditionally as tonic, stomachic, and antiperiodic for intermittent fevers including malaria. Menominee and Meskwaki peoples used root bark as adjuvant to potentiate other medicines and as pulmonary aid. Havasupai used leaf decoction externally for children's stomachaches. Also applied externally to wounds.
S29+S28

✅ Edible

Foraging Notes: Fruits historically used as a hop substitute in beer brewing and added to bread yeast. San Felipe people ate fruits as children's food. Flavour is very bitter; not a common food source.
S29+S28