H U 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



HUD 



707 



lary, one-flowered ; leaves in whorls, trifid or thrice trifid ; 

 stem a finger's length, quite simple. Linneus says the genus 

 of this plant is doubtful. It has been made into a new genus 

 by Mr. Browne, under the name of Limnophila. Native of 

 Ceylon. 



3. Hottonia Sessiliflora ; Sessile-flowered Water Violet. 

 Flowers in leafy whorls, sessile; leaves in whorls, bipinnate 

 and trifid ; stem simple, sometimes with a branchlet at top. 

 Found by Burmann in the East Indies. 



4. Hottonia Littoralis ; Sea Water Violet. Leaves ovate- 

 oblong, opposite, quite entire ; flowers solitary ; stem com- 

 monly quite simple, about eight inches high, upright. The 

 flowers are purple, axillary, and peduncled, resembling those 

 of the second species, but the leaves are very different. 

 Native of Cochin-china. 



Hovenia; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Monogy- 

 nia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-leafed, 

 hairy at the base within, permanent, five-parted ; parts ovate, 

 reflex, deciduous. Corolla: petals five, obovate, very obtuse, 

 patulous, rolled up, involving the stamina, inserted into the 

 calix between the segments, and of the same length with them. 

 Stamina: filamenta five, inserted into the base of the calix, 

 and a little shorter; anthers roundish, hid within the petals. 

 Pistil: germen superior; style upright, much shorter than 

 the calix; stigmas three, from patulous reflex, blunt. Peri- 

 carp: capsule ovate-globular, three-furrowed, three-celled, 

 three-valved. Seeds: solitary, lens-shaped, very smooth. 

 Observe. Sometimes, but seldom, the calix is four-parted, 

 and there are only four stamina. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER, 

 Petals: five, convoluted. Stiyma : trifid. Capsule: three- 

 celled, three-valved. The only known species is, 



1. Hovenia Dulcis. Root perennial ; stem arboreous, thick, 

 nine feet high ; branches round, smooth ; leaves alternate, 

 petioled, subcordate, ovate, acuminate, serrate, hanging 

 down, nerved, smooth, a hand in length ; flowers small, 

 white, axillary, and terminating; panicle dichotomous, com- 

 pressed ; peduncles subcylindrie, dichotomous, thickening 

 after flowering-time, with a sweet red pulp, which is eaten 

 by the Japanese, and tastes somewhat like a pear. The flow- 

 ers, which readily fall ofF, appear from June to August, and 

 ripen into fruit in November. Native of Japan, near Nagasaki. 



Hound's Tongue. See Cynoglossum. 



Houseleek. See Semjiervivum. 



Houstonia; a genus of the class Tetrandria, order Mono- 

 gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth very small, 

 four-toothed, upright, permanent. Corolla: one-pelalled, 

 funnel-shaped; tube rylindric, long; border four-parted, 

 spreading; parts roundish. Stamina: filamenta four, in the 

 neck of the corolla, very small; antherae simple. Pistil: 

 germen superior, roundish, compressed ; style simple, shorter 

 than the stamina; stigma bifid, acute. Pericarp: capsule 

 roundish, twin, gaping transversely at top, two-celled, two- 

 valved ; valves opposite to the partition. Seeds: few, (three 

 or four,) small, ovate, adhering to the partition. (Jiissien 

 observes, that the germen of the second species is certainly 

 inferior.) ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Corolla : one-petalled, 

 funnel-form. Capsule: superior, two-celled, two-seeded; 



(according to Gaertner, three or four seeds in each cell. 



The specins are, 



1. Houstonia Coerulea ; Blue-flowered Houstonia. Root- 

 leaves ovate; stem compound; first peduncles two-flowered. 

 This is a vernal plant, with terminating flowers. From a slen- 

 der root it produces small, oblong, pointed leaves, spreading 

 on the ground in a ring; among these, slender smooth stalks 

 arise, at the height of two inches, forming a joint, and furnished 

 with two or three small leaves ; here they divide into two and 



sometimes three slender branches or peduncles, an inch or 

 two in length, having at the end of each a single flower; 

 flower of a fine pale blue, or almost white, with a yellow eye, 

 jasmine-like, pretty, but scentless. Native of Virginia, and 

 other parts of North America. This species, says Mr. Curtis, 

 is quite hardy in England, best cultivated in a pot, with plenty 

 of moisture, and easily propagated by parting its roots. With 

 a little attention, it flowers perpetually in spring, summer, 

 and autumn. 



2. Houstonia Purpurea ; Purple-flowered Houstonia. Leaves 

 ovate-lanceolate; corymbs terminating; flowers superior. 

 This has leaves in pairs, resembling those of Chickweed or 

 large Alsine. The flower is of a reddish purple. Native of 

 Maryland ; where it is also found with a narrower leaf. 



3. Houstonia Serpyllifolia. Stalk procumbent ; leaves spa- 

 thulate, obtuse ; peduncles terminating, long, bearing each a 

 single blue flower. Found upon high mountains near rivu- 

 lets and springs from Virginia to Carolina. 



4. Houstonia Tenella. Stalk creeping, filiform ; leaves 

 orbiculate, acute, nervose ; peduncles terminal, very long, 

 bearing each a single purple flower. It much resembles the 

 preceding species, though something smaller. Found on 

 high mountains in North Carolina. 



5. Houstonia Angustifolia. Stalk erect, very branchy, 

 glabrous; leaves linear; flowers terminal, fasciculated, sub- 

 sessile, purple-coloured. Found in sandy fields along the 

 sea-coast from Carolina to Florida. 



Houttuynia ; a genus of the class Monoecia, order Monan- 

 dria ; according to Thunberg, class Polyandria, order Poly- 

 gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Male Flowers. Calix: 

 spathe, four-leaved ; leaflets ovate, concave, obtuse, coloured ; 

 spadix oblong, the length of the spathe, covered with fructifi- 

 cations. Corolla: none. Stamina: filamenta very many, in- 

 termixed with the germina, about seven round each germen, 

 very short ; antheree twin, ovate. Females. Calix : spathe 

 and spadix common with the males. Corolla : none. Pistil : 

 germina very many, intermixed with the stamina ; (accord- 

 ing to Loureiro, germina three-cornered ; style none ; stigmas 

 three, oblong, reflex.) Pericarp : capsule three-cornered, 

 three-celled, three-valved, opening at the top. Seeds: many, 

 ovate, small. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: four-leaved. 

 Corolla: none. Stamina : mixed with the pistils, seven about 

 each germen. The only known species is, 



1. Houttuynia Cordata. This plant has the habit of Poly- 

 gonum, with stipules like that; root annual, fibrous ; stems 

 simple, herbaceous, grooved, flexuose, upright, a hand, a 

 span, or a foot in height, smooth in all its parts; leaves alter- 

 nate, petioled, cordate, cuspidate, entire, paler underneath ; 

 petioles striated, stipuled at the base, shorter than the leaf; 

 flowers from the sheath of the petiole, solitary, peduncled ; 

 peduncle the length of the petiole. It is difficult to determine 

 the number of stamina in this genus, because there is no calix, 

 corolla, or scales, to separate the germina. It ought however 

 to be referred to the class Polyandria, the stamina being 

 scattered over an elongated receptacle, among several ger 

 mina. Discovered by Thunberg in Japan, where it is very 

 common in the ditches between Miaco and Jedo, flowering 

 in May and June. Loureiro also found it in the gardens of 

 Cochin-china, where it is eaten in salads, and is esteemed 

 attenuant, resolvent, and emmenagogue. 



Hudsonia; a genus of the class Dodecandria, order Mono- 

 gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth three- 

 leaved, tubular, cylindric, with a patulous mouth ; leaflets 

 lanceolate-linear, blunt. Corolla : none. Stamina : fila- 

 menta fifteen, capillary, shorter than the calix ; antherse 

 roundish. Pistil: germen superior, ovate; style filiform, 



