154 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



Houlletia continued. 



H. O. antioquensis (Antioquian). fl., sepals much broader than 

 those of the type ; lip very long, somewhat sagittate, white, tinged 

 with pale yellow ; spike erect, many-flowered. Antioquia, 1870. 

 An improvement on the type, with dark green leaves and pseudo- 

 bulbs. (G. C. 1870, 12.) 



H. plcta (painted).* /. cinnamon-brown, 3Jin. in diameter ; sepals 

 narrow-oblong, tips rounded ; petals rather smaller, narrowed 

 towards the base ; lip shorter than the petals, jointed at the 

 middle ; distal portion (epichyle) broadly-hastate, with the broad, 

 blunt, deeply-channelled apex so recurved that the epichyle looks 

 truncate; hypochile somewhat trapeziform, the sides produced 

 backwards into long ascending spurs, that are rather shorter than 

 the column ; column yellow, blotched with brown on the back ; 

 scape from the base of the pseudo-bulb, stout, ascending, green, 

 six to ten-flowered ; sheaths few, short ; bracts linear-oblong, 

 green, deciduous; pedicel and ovary Jin. long. /., with the slen- 

 der petiole, liin. to 2Jin. long, elliptic-lanceolate, acuminate, 

 plaited, green. Pseudo-bulbs tufted, about Sin. long, narrow, 

 ovoid, compressed, grooved. New Granada. (B. M. 6305.) 

 H. tigrina (tiger-marked), fl., sepals greenish-yellow, barred with 

 brown ; petals smaller, rich yellow, barred with crimson ; lip 

 white, dotted with brown and barred with light purple. Pseudo- 

 bulbs 2in. long, somewhat ovate, with long dark green obtuse 

 leaves. Columbia, 1852. (I. H. 612.) 

 H. vlttata (striped). A synonym of Polycycnis vittata. 

 HOUND'S TONGUE. See Cynoglossnm. 

 HOUSELEEK. See Sempervivum tectoriim. 

 HOUSTONIA (named after Dr. W. Houston, 1695- 

 1733, a writer on American plants). OBD. Rubiaceae. 

 A genus comprising about twenty species of hardy herba- 

 ceous perennials, for the most part natives of North- 

 western America. Flowers white, purple, or blue, dimor- 

 phous. Leaves opposite, broad or narrow. Houstonias 

 are admirable little plants for growing between large 

 stones on rockwork, where they will flower nearly all 

 the year round. A compost of leaf soil and sand, rather 

 moist, is most suitable. H. c&rulea forms a pretty pot 

 specimen under cold frame treatment, and may be used 

 with good effect for surfacing the pots in which other 

 hardy bare-stemmed plants are grown. Propagated by 

 careful divisions, in autumn; or by seeds. 



FIG. 242. HOUSTONIA C^RULEA. 



(blue).* Bluets, fl. usually elegant, light blue, some- 

 times white ; peduncles one-flowered, elongated ; corolla salver- 

 snaped, 4m. across. Early summer. I. ovate-lanceolate, attenu- 

 ated at the base ; radical ones spathulate, a little hairy. Stem 

 ? ec , fc : d 'chotomou8. h. Sin. to 4in. Virginia, 1785. See fig. 242. 

 (rs. M. 370.) - 



aionglfolia (long-leaved), fl. pale lilac; stamens inclosed. 

 August. 1. linear-oblong ; radical ones tapering at base and 

 laX* 81 }* pl ^ ^road-ovate, entire or bi-tridentate. h. 6in. 



H. serpyllifolia (Thyme-leaved).* fl. white ; peduncles terminal, 

 ^y.Ta. el ?8lf tB.M^.)^^ *' 8 " athulate ' rather 



HOUTTEA (named in honour of the late Louis Van 

 Houtte, a celebrated Belgian nurseryman). SYN. Van 

 Houttea. ORD. Gesneracece. A genus comprising three 

 species of stove shrubs, natives of Brazil. Flowers scarlet 

 or spotted ; corolla tube cylindrical. Leaves opposite, 

 crenulate, pale or canescent-tomentose underneath. For 

 culture, see Gesnera. 



H. Gardner! (Gardner's).* /. red ; peduncles solitary, one-flowered, 

 axillary ; three calyx segments acuminate ; corolla downy.tubular; 

 perigynous ring tive-lobed. July and August, h. 2ft. 1841. 

 Plant glabrous. (B. M. 4121, under name of Gesnera Gardneri.) 

 H. pardina (leopard-spotted).* fl. orange, red ; peduncles axil- 

 lary, solitary, one-flowered ; corolla with curved tube and spotted 

 spreading limb; calyx segments large, spreading; stamens ex- 

 serted. August to October. I. on short petioles, elliptic, thickish, 

 serrate, glabrous above, tomentose beneath, h. lift. 1847. Plant 

 downy. (B. M. 4348, under name of Gesnera pardina.) 

 HOUTTUYNIA (named in honour of Houttuyn, the 

 celebrated virtuoso of Amsterdam). Including Gymno- 

 theca. SYNS. Anemia, Anemiopsis, and Polypara. ORD. 

 PiperacecB. A genus comprising two or three species of 

 greenhouse perennial herbs, one of which is from Cali- 

 fornia, another is broadly dispersed through the Hima- 

 layan region, China, and Japan, and a third is pro- 

 bably from China. Flowers hermaphrodite, spicate, sessile 

 between the bracts; spikes terminal, pedunculate, dense. 

 Leaves alternate, broad or oblong, often cordate at base ; 

 stipules large, membranaceous. The species succeed in 

 any light rich soil, and in a moist situation. Increased 

 by divisions, or by seeds. 



H. oallfornlca (California^), fl., spadix short, erect, conical, 

 clothed with hermaphrodite flowers without any perianth, but 

 subtended by an involucre of about six oblong, spreading, white 

 bracts, of which the inner three are spotted with red. Summer. 

 I. nearly all radical, long-stalked, sub-cordate at base, obtuse, 

 entire. Stem hairy, longer than the leaves. California. (B. M. 

 5292, under name of Anemiopsis calif arnica.) 



H. cordata (heart-shaped).* fl., involucre resembling a corolla, of 

 four white, ovate, spreading, elliptical leaflets, inserted imme- 

 diately below the oblong spadix, which consists of several naked, 

 closely-placed flowers ; peduncle terminal, solitary, single-flowered. 

 I. cordate-acuminate, alternate, entire, remote, glabrous, nerved, 

 more or less deeply notched at the base. Stem erect, mostly simple, 

 zigzag, glabrous. Japan. (B. M. 2731.) 



HOVEA (named after A. P. Hove, a Polish botanist, 

 and collector for Kew). SYN. Poiretia. ORD. Legumi- 

 nosas. A genus comprising eleven species of handsome 

 ornamental greenhouse evergreen shrubs, confined to Aus- 

 tralia. Flowers blue or purple, in axillary clusters or 

 very short racemes, or rarely solitary ; petals clawed ; 

 standard nearly orbicular, eraarginate. Leaves alternate, 

 simple, entire or prickly toothed, glabrous above, often 

 tomentose underneath ; stipules setaceous, minute or none. 

 Propagation is best effected by seeds, which should be 

 sown in well-drained pots of sandy-peat soil, in spring, 

 and placed in a gentle bottom heat. Cuttings are rather 

 difficult to strike. The seedlings must, when large 

 enough, be potted off in similar soil, and grown on in an 

 intermediate temperature, water being carefully adminis- 

 tered, and the points pinched out when the plants are 

 2in. or Sin. high, to induce a bushy habit. After they 

 become established, plenty of air may be admitted, and 

 a cool greenhouse temperature will suffice. Hoveas are 

 very distinct and desirable plants, on account of their 

 intensely-coloured flowers, which appear in spring. H. 

 elliptica is most commonly seen ; it has rather a 

 straggling habit, that requires to be corrected by pinch- 

 ing and training when the plants are young. H. pungens 

 is smaller-growing, and more compact. The plants are 

 sometimes attacked by Scale, which should be removed 

 by sponging, or by an insecticide. 

 H. Celsii (Cels's). A synonym of H. elliptica. 

 H. chorizemifolia (Chorizema-leaved). fl. purple, rather small, 

 on short pedicels. April. I. from ovate to lanceolate, pungent, 

 pointed, sinuate and prickly-toothed, often undulate, coriaceous, 

 reticulate and usually scabrous, h. 3ft. 1844. SYN. Plaaiolobium 

 Uicifolium. (B. R. 1524.) 



H. elliptica (elliptic).* fl. beautiful deep blue ; peduncles axillary, 

 many-flowered. April to June. I. lanceolate, and somewhat 

 rhomboid, bluntish, mucronate. Branches rather pilose, h. 2ft. 

 to 4ft. 1818. SVN. U. Celsii. (B. M. 2005.) 



