184 



HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



HED 



Hedge-hog Grass. See Cenchms. 



Hedge Mustard. Sisymbrium officinale. 



Hedge Nettle. Stachys sylvatica. 



Hedges. Many shrubs and plants are available 

 for utilizing for hedges, which ai-e often 

 extensively planted in connection with gar- 

 dens, either for boundary fences, screens, or 

 wind breaks. These are generally selected to 

 suit the special requirements for which tlie 

 hedge is intended, or, perhaps, different soils 

 or locations may have effect on the selection. 

 The principal plants now used are (deciduous) 

 Osage Orange, European and Californian 

 Privet, Althaeas, Lilacs and Japan Quince ; 

 Beech, Thorns of various sorts, Hornbeam, 

 etc., are also excellent hedge plants, though 

 of rather slow growth. Of evergreens, Amer- 

 ican and Siberian Arborvitees, Eetinosporas, 

 and Hemlock make excellent hedges that 

 stand cutting well, and can be kept to any 

 desired height; Norway Spruce aJso, for a 

 dividing fence or wind break, is unsurpassed. 



Hedge Violet. Viola sylvatica. 



Hedy^chium. Garland Flower. From hedys, 

 sweet, and chion, snow; in reference to the 

 sweet-scented, snow-white flowers of some of 

 the species. Nat. Ord. Zingiberacew. 



A beautiful genus, deserving a place wher- 

 ever space can be afforded them in the hot- 

 house. They will attain a height of from three 

 to five feet, and flower profusely, fully prov- 

 ing the fitness of the term, "Garland Flower," 

 applied to them. There are a large number 

 of species, mostly from the East Indies. H. 

 Gardneriaum, one of the most useful of these, 

 grows from three to five feet high, bearing 

 huge spikes of bright lemon-colored flowers, 

 with long scarlet stamens and elegant Canna- 

 like foliage. It is an admirable plant for out- 

 door decoration in summer, and the crowns 

 may be lifted and stored in winter similar to 

 those of the Canna or Dahlia. They are 

 propagated by divisions of the plants before 

 repotting in the spring. 



Hedy'sarum. The French Honeysuckle. From 

 hedysaron, the name of a papilionaceous plant 

 described by Theophrastus. Nat. Ord. Legum^ 

 inosce. 



This genus includes many species of hand- 

 some hardy annual and perennial plants, 

 natives of Europe, north Africa, the moun- 

 tainous parts of Asia, and North America. 

 Their flowers are purple, white, and rarely 

 yellow, borne in prominent racemose spikes. 

 H. coronarium, the French Honeysuckle, the 

 species most usually cultivated, is a perennial 

 herb, with spikes of deep red flowers. There 

 is also a white-flowered variety. H.fiexuosum, 

 a closely allied species from southern Spain, 

 has red flowers, tinged with blue. They are 

 all of easy culture in open, sunny gardens, 

 and are readily increased by seeds. 



Hedy'scepe Canterburyana. A name given to 

 Kentia Canterburyana. 



Hee'ria rosea. A synonym of Heterocentron 

 roseum. 



Hei'nsia. A genus of Rubiacem, including a 

 few species of evergreen shrubs, natives of 

 tropical Africa. H. jasminijlora, the only 

 species yet introduced, is a beautiful, much 

 branched, unarmed, glabrous shrub, with 



HEL 



pure white Jasmine-like flowers. Propa- 

 gated by cuttings ; introduced in 1824. 



He'lcia. From helcium, a horse-collar; in 

 reference to the curious formation of the 

 flowers. Nat. Ord. Orchidacew. 



H. sanguinolerita, the only species, is a 

 beautiful terrestrial Orchid from the Peruvian 

 Andes. Its flowers are produced in great 

 profusion on single stalks from the base of 

 the bulbs ; the sepals and petals yellowish, 

 beautifully marked with reddish brown ; lip 

 lai-ge, white, marked with purplish crimson. 

 It requires to be grown in a cold house, and 

 is increased by division. Syn. Tricopilia. 



Hele'nium. Sneeze Weed. Named after the 

 beautiful Helen, the cause of the Trojan war. 

 Nat. Ord. Compositce. 



A small genus of showy, hardy herbaceous 

 plants, with a few hardy annuals. The flowers 

 are mostly large and yellow, somewhat re- 

 sembling those of Rudheckia, which similarity 

 prevents their introduction to the flower 

 garden. H. autumnale, the only native species, 

 popularly known as Sneeze Weed, is a showy 

 plant, growing from two to three feet high. 

 It is common southward. 



Helia'nthemum. Sun Rose. From helios, the 

 sun, and anthemon, a flower. Nat. Ord. 

 Cistacece. 



Low shrubs, generally used for planting on 

 rock-work, and strongly resembling theCistus 

 or Rock Rose. As most of the species are 

 rather tender, they require protection during 

 winter. For this reason they are either grown 

 in pots, which are placed on the rock-work 

 among the stones, or taken up and repotted 

 in winter, to be planted out again in spring. 

 They are generally increased by seeds, which 

 ripen in abundance. 



Helia'nthus. The Sun Flower. From helios, 

 the sun, and antlios, a flower ; in reference to 

 the common but erroneous opinion, that the 

 flowers always turn their faces toward the 

 sun. Nat. Ord. Compositm. 



An extensive genus of hardy annuals and 

 herbaceous perennials. The annual of this 

 name, H. annuus, though a native of Peru, is 

 of the hardiest of its kind, as it only requires 

 sowing in the open border. The flowers are 

 immense in size, averaging a foot in diameter ; 

 color yellow with a dark disk. It is not, 

 however, suitable for any situation, unless 

 there be abundance of room, on account of 

 the large size of its stalks and leaves. It 

 is, however, much grown in marshy dis- 

 tricts, because of its supposed virtue of 

 absorbing malaria. Of the many varieties of 

 this species, perhaps the finest are H. globosus 

 fistulosus, and H. Californicus, both of which 

 have very large, extremely double, globular 

 flowers when fully developed. H. tuberosus, 

 the well-known Jerusalem Artichoke is some- 

 times cultivated for its tubers, which are in 

 considerable demand especially in Europe, 

 for soups, etc. The name of Jerusalem 

 Artichoke is considered to be a corruption 

 of the Italian Girasole Articocca or Sun-flower 

 Artichoke, under which name it is said to 

 have been originally distributed from the 

 Farnese garden at Rome soon after its intro- 

 duction to Europe in 1617. The perennial 

 kinds are quite hardy and many of them are 

 very ornamental. H. orgyalis, a species from 

 Texas, forms a bush from six to ten feet in 



