704 



HIBISCUS 



HICKORY 



but erroneously called Althaea frutex, a native of 

 Syria and Carniola, has long been in cultivation as 

 an ornamental shrub, and proves sufficiently hardy 

 in many parts of Britain. Many are favourite 

 hothouse plants. The characteristic mucilaginous 

 and fibrous properties of the Malvaceae are very 

 strongly developed in this tribe. The fruit of H. 

 esculentus (or A belmoschus esculentus), called gumbo, 

 gobbo, okra, &c., is in general use for food in the 

 East and West Indies and the United States. It is 

 an annual plant, with a soft herbaceous stem, 3 to 5 

 feet high, crenate leaves, axillary sulphur-coloured 

 flowers, and pyramidal, somewhat podlike capsules. 

 It is cultivated in some parts of the south of Europe. 



The fruit is 

 used in an un- 

 ripe state. It 

 is generally 

 much esteemed, 

 but is disliked 

 by some on 

 account of its 

 viscidity. It 

 enters, as an 

 important in- 

 gredient, into 

 the pepper-pot 

 of the West 

 Indies. The 

 ripe seeds are 

 sometimes used 

 in soups as 

 barley. The 

 bark of H. tili- 

 awus a tree 

 20 feet high, 

 with a very 

 thick bole so 

 abounds in 

 mucilage that 

 by chewing it 

 the natives of 

 the South Sea 

 Islands obtain nourishment in times of scarcity. 

 This tree is one of the most abundant trees of 

 the South Sea Islands ; and the wood, being 

 light, tough, and durable, is much used for many 

 purposes. From its fibre the Tahitians manufac- 

 ture matting fine and coarse, the latter for sleep- 

 ing upon, the former for protection from wet during 

 the rainy season, and they also make ropes and 

 twine of the same. The bark is very fibrous, and 

 cordage and matting are made of the fibre in 

 various tropical countries. Many other species 

 yield fibres, some of them coarse, some of them fine 

 and beautiful, which are used in different coun- 

 tries ; but the most important in this respect is 

 H. cannabinus, the Deccan Hemp of western India 

 (see FIBROUS SUBSTANCES). H. sabdariffa is very 

 generally cultivated in warm countries, on account 

 of its calyx, which, as the fruit ripens, becomes 

 fleshy, and acquires a very pleasant acidity. It is 

 much used for making tarts and jelly, and a decoc- 

 tion of it, sweetened and fermented, affords a re- 

 freshing beverage, well known in the West Indies 

 as Sorrel Cool Drink, the plant being called Red 

 Sorrel ; and in the Madras territories it is used for 

 similar purposes, and is named Rozelle or Rouselle. 

 H. Abelmoschus (or Abelmoschus moschatus), some- 

 times called Musk Seed, another plant common in 

 widely separated tropical countries, is cultivated for 

 its seeds, which have a fragrance between that of 

 musk and that of amber. They are much used by 

 perfumers, and are called Ambrette or Graines 

 d'Ambrette. In Egypt and Arabia they are mixed 

 with coffee, and stimulant and stomachic qualities 

 are ascribed to them. The petals of H. Rosa- 

 Sinensis possess astringent properties, and they are 



Hibiscus esculentus, upper part of a 



flowering plant : 



a, unripe fruit; b, section of do. 



(Bentley and Trimen.) 



also used by the Chinese to stain their eyebrows 

 and their shoes black. 



Hiccup, or HICCOUGH, is caused by an in- 

 voluntary contraction of the Diaphragm (q.v. ), 

 while the glottis is spasmodically closed. The 

 inward current of air through the narrowed aper- 

 ture, and its sudden arrest when the glottis 

 closes, cause the characteristic sound. Usually the 

 paroxysm only lasts for a few minutes, but it may 

 sometimes extend to hours or days. The most 

 common cause of hiccup is some disordered con- 

 dition of the stomach. Very obstinate hiccup some- 

 times occurs in various diseases, especially fevers 

 and diseases of the lungs and liver ; and may be a 

 very serious "com plication in consequence of the 

 exhaustion it produces. Sometimes it has a nervous 

 origin. 



When the attack is slight it may often be stopped 

 by making a very full inspiration, and then holding 

 the breath as long as possible, the diaphragm being 

 thus kept in a state of voluntary contraction. 

 A draught of cold water, a start or blow, or strong 

 pressure round the waist will sometimes give relief. 

 In more obstinate cases a combination of camphor 

 or of opium with chloroform, and the frequent 

 swallowing of small rounded pieces of ice, are per- 

 haps the most efficient remedies. Bismuth, nux 

 vomica, bromide of potassium, and many other drugs 

 have also been recommended. 



Hickes, GEORGE, nonjuror and philologist, \ras 

 born at Newsham, Yorkshire, June 20, 1642. He 

 studied at Oxford, in 1664 was elected Fellow of 

 Lincoln College, and in 1666 took holy orders. 

 In 1676 he became chaplain to the Duke of 

 Lauderdale, whom he accompanied to Edinburgh. 

 In 1678 he received the degree of D.D. from the 

 university of Glasgow, and next year from Oxford. 

 In 1682 he was appointed one of the king's chap- 

 lains, and the following year made Dean of W T or- 

 cester. Refusing at the Revolution to take the 

 oaths to King William III., he was deprived of all 

 his benefices. In 1693 he was sent with a list of 

 the nonjuring clergy to the exiled king at St 

 Germains, and in 1694 was consecrated by a pi-elate 

 of his own party Suffragan Bishop of Thetford. 

 His publications in controversial and practical 

 divinity are numerous. His greatest work, en- 

 titled Thesaurus Grammatiw-Criticus et Archceo- 

 logicus Linguarum Veterum Septentrional 'ium, 

 appeared at Oxford in 1705, 3 vols. iol., and in 1689 

 he had published a grammar of Anglo-Saxon arid 

 Moeso-Gothic. He died December 15, 1715. 



Hickory (Carya), a genus of trees formerly 

 included among Walnuts ( Juglans ). The hickories 

 are exclusively North American. They are large 

 and beautiful trees, attaining a height of 70 or 

 80 or even 100 feet, with pinnate compound leaves. 

 The timber of all of them is very heavy, strong, 

 and tenacious, but decays speedily when exposed 

 to heat and moisture, and is said to be peculiarly 

 liable to injury from worms. Great quantities of 

 hickory are used to make hoops for casks. It is 

 much used for handspikes, and shafts of carriages, 

 handles of axes and golf-clubs, large screws, &c. 

 are made of it. It is greatly esteemed for fuel. 

 The nuts of some of the species are excellent eat- 

 ing, and in flavour resemble walnuts. They are 

 enclosed in husks which split up into four equal 

 valves ; the surface of the nut is smooth, with 

 four or more ridges running lengthwise, and meet- 

 ing, especially in C. sulcata, in sharp points at 

 either end. C. alba, the Shell-bark or Shag-bark 

 Hickory, so called from its shaggy outer bark, 

 which peels off in long narrow plates, yields the 

 common hickory-nut of the northern parts of the 

 United States. The trunk is slender, and the tree 

 occasionally reaches a height of from 80 to 100 



