diff --git a/orte/util/hostfile/hostfile.c b/orte/util/hostfile/hostfile.c
index 59bc58280d..78bf08a60f 100644
--- a/orte/util/hostfile/hostfile.c
+++ b/orte/util/hostfile/hostfile.c
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
  *                         reserved.
  * Copyright (c) 2011      Cisco Systems, Inc.  All rights reserved.
  * Copyright (c) 2013-2014 Intel, Inc. All rights reserved.
- * Copyright (c) 2015-2016 Research Organization for Information Science
+ * Copyright (c) 2015-2017 Research Organization for Information Science
  *                         and Technology (RIST). All rights reserved.
  * Copyright (c) 2016      IBM Corporation.  All rights reserved.
  * $COPYRIGHT$
@@ -515,6 +515,7 @@ static int hostfile_parse(const char *hostfile, opal_list_t* updates,
     }
     fclose(orte_util_hostfile_in);
     orte_util_hostfile_in = NULL;
+    orte_util_hostfile_lex_destroy();
 
 unlock:
     cur_hostfile_name = NULL;
diff --git a/orte/util/hostfile/hostfile_lex.h b/orte/util/hostfile/hostfile_lex.h
index 39ede75d6a..3d4c3a583d 100644
--- a/orte/util/hostfile/hostfile_lex.h
+++ b/orte/util/hostfile/hostfile_lex.h
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *                         University of Stuttgart.  All rights reserved.
  * Copyright (c) 2004-2005 The Regents of the University of California.
  *                         All rights reserved.
- * Copyright (c) 2016      Research Organization for Information Science
+ * Copyright (c) 2016-2017 Research Organization for Information Science
  *                         and Technology (RIST). All rights reserved.
  * Copyright (c) 2011 Cisco Systems, Inc.  All rights reserved.
  * $COPYRIGHT$
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ extern FILE *orte_util_hostfile_in;
 extern int   orte_util_hostfile_line;
 extern bool  orte_util_hostfile_done;
 extern orte_hostfile_value_t  orte_util_hostfile_value;
+extern int orte_util_hostfile_lex_destroy (void );
 
 /*
  * Make lex-generated files not issue compiler warnings