HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS. 



103 



HEU 



terminal clusters. They muke very desirable 

 plants for winter blooming. Propagated by 

 cuttings. 



Heuchera. Alum-root. Named after Prvfrxmir 

 Heiiclier, a German botanist. Linn. Pentamlrin- 

 Digynia. Nat. Ord. Saxifraaacece. 



A genus of very handsome herbaceous peren- 

 nials, natives of this country and Siberia. The 

 leaves are entire, from the center of which the 

 dower scape arises from one to three feet high, 

 with terminal panicles of greenish or purplish 

 flowers. The root of If. Americana is so astrin- 

 gent that it is called Alum-root. Propagated by 

 division of the roots in spring. 



Hexacentris. From hex, six, and centron, a spur; 

 alluding to two of its stamens having one spur 

 each, and two of them two spurs each. Linn. 

 Dklynamiit-Aixjios/x-i-iiiia. Nat. Ord. Acanthacece. 

 A small genus of green-house evergreen 

 shrubs, of climbing habit, with dentate leaves. 

 The flowers are purple or yellow, produced in 

 many flowered terminal or axillary racemes in 

 June. They are natives of India, and are rarely 

 seen in collections. Propagated by cuttings. 



Hibbertia. In honor of George Hibbert, a distin- 

 guished promoter of botany. Linn. Polyandria- 

 Triyynia. Nat. Ord. JJlllcnidceir. 



Green-house evergreen shrubs, from New Hol- 

 land and the Cape of Good Hope. There are 

 more than fifty species included in this genus. 

 Most of them are small, heath-like, tufted 

 shrubSj or of a slender trailing habit ; a few arc 

 climbing shrubs. Their flowers are yellow, 

 borne at the ends of the branches, and generally 

 give out a very unpleasant odor. II. dentata, a 

 climbing species, is one of the most showy, and 

 grows six or eight feet high. II. volubilis, the larg- 

 est species of the genus, has a stiff climbing 

 stem and pale yellow flowers two inches across, 

 but most disagreeably scented. Propagated from 

 cuttings of half-ripened shoots in spring. In- 

 troduced in 1823. 



Hibiscus. Virgil's name for the Marsh-mallow. 

 Linn. Monadvlpli ia*-] \fyandria. Nat. Ord. Mal- 

 vaceae. 



An extensive genus, consisting of annuals, 

 perennials, and hardy and green-house shrubs. 

 All the kinds bear very showy flowers, and de- 

 serve to be extensively cultivated. //. rosa Si- 

 rtcnsis pleno produces large double flowers, scarlet 

 and yellow, or buif, requiring simple green- 

 house treatment. A singular freak of this species 

 is, that orange and crimson flowers are occasion- 

 ally seen on the same plant. H. Syriacus (Althjea) 

 is one of our most beautiful hardy shrubs, the 

 more vahiable as it is a free flowerer; will grow 

 almost anywhere, and propagates freely by seeds, 

 layers, and cuttings. There is a pretty varie- 

 gated leaved variety of //. Syriacus, quite hardy, 

 introduced by the late Robert Buist, of Phila- 

 delphia, Penn. The varieties of this species are 

 used for hedges in many places along our coast, 

 where the soil is too poor for any other shrub to 

 thrive. H. Moscfieutos is abundant in marshy 

 places along our coast. The flowers are a light 

 rosy pink color, sometimes nearly white, five to 

 six inches in diameter, borne in great numbers 

 on a scape three to four feet high. This species 

 improves in size of plant and color of flower by 

 removing it from its habitat to a dry situation in 

 the border. //. Californicit is a strong growing spe- 

 cies, bearing immense pure white flowers, and 

 one of the most valuable plants of recent intro- 

 duction. The perennials are propagated by seeds 

 or division of roots. The annuals are showy and 



HOG 



grow readily from coed. //. esculentus, or Abd- 

 nioxclins rni'/il''iifi'x- of modern botanists, is the 

 Okra of the gardens, a tender annual from Central 

 America and the West Indies. In the latter it is 

 known as Gombo, and is extensively grown for 

 the seed pods, which are used as a vegetable. 

 The unripe pods are added to soups to render 

 them more mucilaginous. They are also pickled 

 like capers, and make an excellent salad. Okra 

 may be raised by sowing the seed in spring as 

 soon as the ground is warm. The dwarf vari- 

 eties are preferable, being more productive, 

 and requiring less space for their development. 

 The soil should be rich to make tender pods. 



Hickory. See Oarya. 



Hieracium. Hawkweed. From hierax, a hawk; 

 being supposed to sharpen the sight of birds of 

 prey. Linn. Syngenesia-^Equalis. Nat. Ord. .4s- 

 teracecK. 



A large genus of free-flowering, handsome 

 herbaceous perennials, quite hardy, and well 

 adapted for planting among rock-work, or near 

 the front of large groups of mixed plants; the 

 genus also contains a very beautiful annual 

 suited for growing in masses; this is perhaps 

 better known by the English name of the genus, 

 Hawkweed. The flowers of nearly all the species 

 are yellow, several of them are indigenous and 

 common, but notwithstanding are well deserv- 

 ing the little attention necessary to keep them 

 in the neat order requisite in the flower garden. 

 Most species are from Central Europe, and have 

 long been cultivated as garden flowers. 



Hindsia. Named after R. _B. Hinds, a zealous 

 botanist. Linn. Pentandria - Manogynia. Nat. 

 Ord. Cinchonacece. 



Green-house evergreen shrubs from Brazil. 

 Some of the species are plants of great beauty. 

 H. viulacea bears clusters of ultra-marine flow- 

 ers two inches long, very showy. Propagated 

 by cuttings. Introduced In 1844. 



Hippeastrum. Knight's Star Lily. From hippeus, 

 a knight, and ash-on, a star; referring to one of 

 the species. Linn. Hexandria-Monogynia. Nat. 

 Ord. AmaryBtdacece. 



This may, with justice, be termed the most 

 noble and showy section of the family to which 

 it belongs. The flowers are variously colored ; 

 some species have them entirely crimson, while 

 others are white, abundantly streaked with red 

 or crimson. The plants require the same treat- 

 ment as Amaryllis. This genus was formerly 

 classed with the Amaryllis, but was separated 

 from it some years ago by the Rev. W. Herbert, 

 who, in fact, reconstructed the whole family. 

 See Amaryllis, tfprekelia, Valfata, etc. Propa- 

 gated by offsets. Introduced from Lima in 

 1836. 



Hippurus. Mare's Tail. From hippus, a mare, 

 and oitra, a tail; the stem resembles a mare's 

 tail, from the crowded whorls of very narrow, 

 hair-like leaves. Linn. Monandria-MoncHjynia. 

 Nat. Ord. Haloragacecn. 



A very curious aquatic plant, found sparingly 

 in ponds and springs from New York to Ken- 

 tucky and northward. Scientists say the plant 

 absorbs a large quantity of inflammable air, 

 which assists in purifying the putrid air of 

 marshes. It is a favorite food of wild duck. 



Hoary Pea. See Tephrvftin. 



Hobble-bush. A common name for one of the 



Hog Plum. See Spondias. 



Hog-weed. A vulgar name for Ambroxin 



