HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS. 



105 



HUG 



The most common species, II. carnosa, has 

 curious wax-like flowers, from which drops 

 a sweet, honey-like juice. It is a hot-house 

 climber, which requires a light rich soil, and is 

 propagated by cuttings, which require an aver- 

 age temperature of not less than 75 to root 

 freely. It is sometimes grown in green-houses, 

 in a 'warm situation, exposed to the sun. It 

 makes an excellent plant for a warm sitting- 

 room, as it grows freely without direct light. 

 Introduced from Asia in 1802. 



Huckleberry. Whortleberry. The popular 

 names of the genus Gaylussada,ot which there are 

 several species. G. dumosa, the Dwarf Huckle- 

 berry, G. frondosa, the Blue Huckleberry, and 

 G. resinosa, the Black Huckleberry, are com- 

 mon throughout the United States, the latter be- 

 ing the HucMeberry of the Northern States. 



Hugelia. Named after Baron Hwjel, of Vienna. 

 Linn. Pentandria-Monogynia. Nat. Ord. Polemo- 

 niacece. 



A. small genus of hardy annuals from Cali- 

 fornia. The flowers are blue and yellow. Prop- 

 agated by seeds. First discovered in 1833. 



Hurnea. Named after Lady Hume. Linn. Syn- 

 (jemsia-jEqualis. Nat. Ord. Asteracece. 



Elegant biennial plants, which should be sown 

 on a slight hot-bed in spring, then potted off 

 and kept in the open air during summer, 

 and in the green-house during winter, to be 

 finally planted in the open border in May the 

 second year. If the plants are re-potted three 

 or four times during the course of the first sum- 

 mer, always into only a little larger pots, they 

 will become so much stronger before they are 

 finally planted out as amply to repay the addi- 

 tional trouble. H. degans, the only species, 

 has a peculiar but delightful odor. It was intro- 

 duced from New South Wales in 1800. 



Humulus. The Hop. From humus, the ground ; 

 creeping on the ground if not supported. Linn. 

 Dioecia-Pentandria. Nat. Ord. C r mnabinacece. 



There is but one species of the genus, H. lupu- 

 lus, the common garden Hop. It is indigenous 

 both in Scotland and Ireland, and has been un- 

 der cultivation in Europe from a very early 

 period. It was well known by the Komans, and 

 is mentioned by Pliny under the name of Lupus 

 salictarius. It was introduced from Flanders 

 into England in 1524. Its cultivation, however, 

 met with violent opposition; petitions to Parlia- 

 ment were presented against it, in which it was 

 stigmatized as " a wicked weed that would spoil 

 the drink and endangerthe people." The Hop, 

 like all the dioecious family, bears its flowers 

 on separate plants; the female plant, therefore, 

 is alone cultivated. The Hop is increased by 

 cuttings from the most healthy of the old 

 shoots; two buds are required, one beneath the 

 ground, from which will spring the roots, and 

 from the other the stnlk. 



Hungarian Millet. Sco r<ii>icum. 



Huntleya. Named after the Kev. Mr. Huntley, a 

 zealous collector of plants. Linn. Gynandria- 

 Monandria. Nat. Ord. Orchidacece. 



A small genus of epiphytal Orchids, natives 

 of South America. The genus is closely related 

 to Zyr/opetftlum. II. violacea, from Demerara, is 

 a very handsome species, its flowers being large 

 and of an intense violet color, which is quite 

 uncommon among Orchids. This species is also 

 known as Bollea violicea, and Pescatoria violacea. 

 They should all be grown in pots. They are 

 evergreen, and require but a short season of 

 rest. They should be grown in the shade, and 



HYA 



never allowed to become wholly dry. They are 

 increased by division. Introduced in 1831. 

 Huntsman's Cup. One of the popular names of 

 the /Sarracenia purpurea, from a fancied resem- 

 blance. 



Hyacinthus. The Hyacinth. The name of this 

 genus originated with the fabulists of antiquity. 

 It was pretended that Hyacinthus, a beautiful 

 boy, was th son of a Spartan king, and the fa- 

 vorite of Apollo. Zephyrus, being envious of 

 the attachment of Apollo and Hyacinthus, so 

 turned the direction of a quoit which Apollo had 

 pitched while at play, that it struck the head 

 of Hyacinthus and slew him. The fable con- 

 cludes by making Apollo transform the body of 

 his favorite into the flower that bears his name. 

 Linn. Hexandria-Minogynia. Nat. Ord. Lilia- 

 cece. 



This plant, a native of the Levant, was first 

 introduced into England in 1596, but it was 

 known to Dioscorides, who wrote about the 

 time of Vespasian. Gerarde, in his Herbal, pub- 

 lished at the close of the sixteenth century, 

 enumerates four varieties, the single and double 

 blue, the purple, and the violet. In that valu- 

 able old book on gardening, " Parodist in Sole 

 Paradisus terrestris, " published by John Park- 

 inson in 1629, there are mentioned and de- 

 scribed eight different varieties. He tells us 

 " some are pure white; another is almost white, 

 but having a show of blueness, especially at the 

 brims and bottoms of the flowers ; others again 

 are of a very faint blush ; some are of as deep a 

 purple as a violet; others of a purple tending to 

 redness, and some of a paler purple; some again 

 are of a fair blue ; others more watchet, and some 

 so pale a blue as if it were more white than 

 blue. After the flowers are past, there rise up 

 great three-square heads, bearing round black 

 seed, great and shining." During the two hun- 

 dred and fifty years that have passed since the 

 above was penned, there has been a steady im- 

 provement in the size, form, and color of the flow- 

 ers of this plant. From the eight varieties of 

 1629, more than four thousand varieties have been 

 produced and catalogued, from which number 

 upward of two hundred varieties are subjects of 

 extensive commerce. Tho Hyacinth is a uni- 

 versal favorite in the most extended application 

 of the word. The number of its varieties is now 

 fully equal to that of any other florist's flower. 

 They are usually grown for forcing into flower 

 in the dull, cheerless months of winter and early 

 spring, when their delicately-colored flowers and 

 rich fragrance lend a charm not otherwise to be 

 found. They are equally desirable for planting in 

 beds, or in the garden border. For forcing, the 

 bulbs should be potted about the middle of 

 September in five inch pots in rich, light earth, 

 and placed in a cold frame or under a wall, 

 where they can be covered with wooden shut- 

 ters, or some similar contrivance, to keep off 

 heavy rains; in either case they should be cov- 

 ered a foot thick with newly-fallen leaves, and 

 being once well watered after potting, they may 

 be left for a month to form their roots, when 

 the most forward should be brought out, and, 

 after re-potting into larger pots, according to the 

 apparent strength of the bulbs, should be 

 placed in a gentle heat. Some care is necessary s 

 in the application and increase of this, or the 

 flowers will be abortive ; it should not exceed 

 50 for the first three weeks, but afterward 

 may be increased gradually to 60 or 65, and 

 if the pots are plunged into bottom heat the 



