Hop Bush is a shrub growing to 1-3 m tall, rarely a small tree to 10 m tall. It is commonly called 'hop bush' because the colourful fruits resemble the fruits used in brewing. The leaves are simple elliptical, 6-13 cm long and 2-4 cm broad, and secrete a resinous substance. The flowers are yellow to orange-red, produced in short racemes. The fruit is a capsule 2 cm broad, red ripening brown, with three wings. The wood is extremely tough and durable, and New Zealand's Māori have used Hop Bush to fashion clubs and other weapons.