HYPH/ENE 



HYSSOP 



793 



bloom which soon vanishes, plicate, scabrous on the 

 margins and nerves above; petiole sheathed for 1 or 2 

 in., deeply channeled above, rough on the margins: 

 fruits ohovate, 2>a in. long, smooth. S. Africa. Cult, 

 outdoors in S. Fla. 



JARED G. SMITH and E. N. REASONER. 



HYPOCRITE PLANT. Euphorbia heteropJiylla. 



HYP6LEPIS (Greek, a scale underneath). Polypo- 

 dicicecR. A genus of ferns with marginal sori, placed in 

 the sinuses of the leaf, covered with the membranous 

 leaf margin. Tropical ferns of both hemispheres rarely 

 cultivated. Ten or more species are known. 



ripens, Presl. Stalks straw-colored, more or less 



?rickly: Ivs. 3-4 ft. long, quadripinnatifid ; lower pinnae 

 -2 ft. long, 6-12 in. wide, ovate acuminate: sori 2-6 to 

 a segment. West Indies to Brazil. 



Hypolepis repens is a rather coarse fern, of easy cul- 

 ture, with the general appearance of a Cyathea. Like all 

 strong-growing ferns, it requires a large percentage of 

 loam. It likes shade and moisture at all times, and is 

 readily propagated by spores, which it produces in great 

 quantity. It often sows itself, and requires a stove or 

 intermediate temperature. 

 H. Californica. See Cheilanthes Californica. 



L. M. UNDERWOOD. 



HYP6XIS (old Greek name, of no application to these 

 plants). AmaryllidacecR. STAR-GRASS. About 50 spe- 

 cies of little herbs of temperate and tropical regions, 

 with linear leaves, hard rootstalks or corms, perianth 

 adnate to the ovary, and anthers not versatile. They 

 are scarcely known in cultivation, although the common 

 species of the northern states, H. erecta, Linn. (H. 

 hirsuta, Coville), Fig. 1119, is offered by dealers in na- 

 tive plants. The Ivs. are radical, hairy, grass-like: fls. 

 1-6, small, star-like, bright yellow, on scapes 4-10 in. 

 tall. Give a half-shady place in the rockery or border. 

 Prop, by division. Blooms in spring. Not showy, but 

 interesting. D. 143. G.W.F. 39. H. stellata, Linn, f., 

 from S. Africa, is a pretty greenhouse bulb, blooming 

 in Dec.: Ivs. 4-12, glabrous, a foot or less long: pedun- 

 cles sometimes forked, 1-4, bearing fls. white inside, 

 and the outer segments green-striped on the back. 



J. B. KELLER and L. H. B. 



HYSSOPUS (ancient name; but precisely what plant 

 was the sacred Hyssop of the Jews is uncertain). 

 Labiatw. HYSSOP. Hyssop is a familiar plant, culti- 

 vated for medicine and also for ornament in hardy bor- 

 ders. It is considered a genus of only one species, the 

 numerous synonyms being referred mostly to H. offlci- 

 nalis or to the genus Lophanthus, 2 species of which 

 are cult. Hyssopus has entire Ivs.: Lophanthus has 

 serrate Ivs. Important generic characters of Hyssopus 

 are the 15-nerved calyx and divergent stamens : upper 

 lip of corolla 2-lobed ; lower 3-lobed : stamens 4, didyna- 

 mous, 2 of which are exserted. 



officinalis, Linn. Fig. 1120. Stems herbaceous from 

 a woody base, slender, branched or not : Ivs. linear to 



oblong, sessile or nearly so, acute at both ends or the 

 lower ones obtuse at the apex, l%-2 in. long. B.M. 

 2299. B.B. 3:110. Var. alba, with white fls.. is cult. 



Hyssop is a hardy 

 perennial shrub, grow- 

 ing 18 in. tall, which has 

 been naturalized in the 

 United States from 

 southern Europe or Si- 

 beria. Lvs. narrow and 

 entire: fls., which appear 

 from June to September, 

 blue, sometimes white or 

 pink, borne in whorled 

 spikes, which are more 

 or less interrupted. The 

 whole plant has a strong 

 odor and pungent, bitter 

 taste. The green parts 

 are used in connection 

 with wormwood and 

 other plants in the manu- 

 facture of absinthe, oc- 

 casionally as a pot herb, 

 and as a flavoring for 

 cold salad plants. The 

 powdered, dried flowers 

 are similarly employed 

 in soups. The flower 

 spikes are cut just as 

 the blossoms begin to 

 open, and are dried for 

 use in domestic medicine 

 as a stimulant and ex- 

 pectorant in the treat- 

 ment of asthma, coughs 

 and other pulmonary 

 troubles. Hyssop is not 

 now so highly esteemed 

 as formerly by the medi- 

 cal profession. 



This plant is readily 

 propagated by seed, cut- 

 tings and plant division. 

 The seed, generally em- 

 ployed in cold climates, 

 is sown in early spring, 

 either in drills 15 to 18 

 inches apart where the 

 plants are to remain, or 

 broadcast in nursery 

 beds for transplanting, 

 12 inches asunder in 

 June or July. Propaga- 

 tion by cuttings and by division may be done in the 

 autumn, but better in the spring, when the plants first 

 start to grow. Greenwood cuttings may be started in 

 the shade in the early summer. They need to be well 

 watered. The soil should be a light, mellow, calcareous 

 or sandy loam, with a warm aspect. Culture and har- 

 vesting are the same as for sage, mint and other herbs. 

 The beds should be renewed every three or four years. 



M. G. KAINS. 



1120. Hyssop Hyssopus 

 officinalis (X %). 



