Ptelea trifoliata is a small tree, or often a shrub of a few spreading stems, growing to around 6–8 m (20–26 ft) tall with a broad crown.

The fruit is a round wafer-like papery samara, 2–2.5 cm (0.79–0.98 in) across, light brown, and two-seeded.

The fruit ripens in October, and is held on the tree until high winds shake them loose in the early winter.

[12] While Ptelea trifoliata is most often treated as a single species with subspecies and/or varieties in different distribution ranges,[9][13] some botanists[who?]

treat the various hoptrees as a group of four or more closely related species: The specific epithet "trifoliata" refers to the three-parted compound leaf.

[6][7][8][14][15] Ptelea trifoliata is native to North America, where its northern limits are in Ontario and Quebec, Canada.

It is native through much of the eastern and southwestern United States, although it is absent from some areas of the Upper Midwest and is rare in much of New England.

In the Southeastern United States it is most often found in rocky forests, in both moist and dry soil, often associated with calcareous or mafic substrates.

The cultivar 'Aurea' with golden leaves has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

[24][25] German immigrants to Texas in the 19th century used its seeds in place of hops in the beer-making process, lending the species its common name.