HYDRANGEA. 



166 



HYPOCALYMMA. 



There are several kinds of Hydrangea, 

 most of which are American shrubs, 

 Avhich are quite hardy in British gar- 

 dens. The kind best known how- 

 ever, and which is called the Hydran- 

 g^di, par excellence, is a Chinese shrub, 

 which is only half hardy in England, 

 Botanists call it H. Hortinsia, 

 the specific name being given in 

 honour of a French lady, whose 

 Christian name was Hortense ; and 

 though it is now so common, it has 

 not been introduced much more than 

 sixty years ; the first plant of it grown 

 in Britain having been imported from 

 China by Sir Joseph Banks, in 1789 

 or 1790, about the same time as the 

 Tree Pseony. The Hydrangea, though 

 nearly hardy, is generally considered 

 as a greenhouse or window-plant ; 

 and it is admirably adapted for the 

 latter situation, and it is scarcelypos- 

 sible to give it too much water, though 

 water may be withheld from it for 

 several days without killing it — the 

 plant reminding its possessor of its 

 wants by its conspicuously droojiing 

 its leaves, and re\"iving rapidly when 

 water is given. It should be grown 

 in a rich soil, and its branches should 

 be cut in every year when it has done 

 flowering ; as, otherwise, the branches 

 are apt to become unsightly from 

 losing their leaves near the base. 



Blue Hydrangeas are very much 

 admired ; partly, perhaps, from the 

 difficulty of obtaining them, for no 

 plants can be more capricious. 

 Sometimes they come without any 

 trouble at all ; sometimes applying 

 any one of the numerous recipes re- 

 commended will change the colour, 

 either directly or gradually; and 

 sometimes no care and no recipe has 

 the slightest effect, and the flowers 

 remain pink, in spite of all that can 

 be done to turn them blue. Water 

 impregnated with alum, steel filings, 

 sheep's dung, wood-ashes, peat-ashes, 

 nitre, carbonate of soda, or common 



salt, are all recommended, and all 

 succeed — sometimes. The flowers are 

 sometimes turned blue by removing 

 the plants to a loamy soil, and some- 

 times by planting them in peat. It is 

 generally allowed that the fine yellow 

 loam found in some parts of Hamp- 

 stead and Stanmore Heaths, and the 

 peat of Wimbledon Common, are 

 sure to produce the desired effect ; 

 as is also the peat of the bogs near 

 Edinburgh, and that of the neigh- 

 bourhood of Berlin and St. Peters- 

 burgh ; or any soil that contains a 

 large proportion of iron. Water in 

 which tan has been steeped is also 

 very often successful; though, like 

 the other recipes, it cannot always 

 be depended on. 



Hydro'charis — HydrocliaridecB. 

 — Frogbit. — A pretty little British 

 water-plant, with white flowers. 



H YDRo'piPER. — Water Pepper, — 

 See Poly'gonum. 



Hype'ricum. — Hypericdcece. — 

 St. John's Wort. — The pretty yellow- 

 flowered shrubs and herbaceous per- 

 ennials known by this name at the 

 present day, were formerly in high 

 repute for driving away evil spirits ; 

 and on this account were generally 

 planted near dwelling-houses. They 

 were also highly valued for their 

 medicinal properties, being believed 

 to have a powerful effect in stopping 

 blood and healing wounds. The 

 most common kind, the Tutsan, or 

 Park Leaves, is now made into an- 

 other genus, u nder th e name of Andi'o- 

 sfenum ; but the botanical distinction 

 is very trifling. All the kinds will 

 thrive under the di'ip of trees ; and 

 they will grow in any soil and situ- 

 ation, though they prefer moisture 

 and the shade. They are found in 

 almost all the temperate climates of 

 the world ; and they are propagated 

 by seeds and by dividing the roots. 



Hypocaly'mma. — MyrtacecB. — 

 The Peach Myrtle. — This is a 



