ItED 



HEI 



four-furrowed, bearded at the tip : fe- 

 male, germs pedicelled ; nuts pedicelled, 

 one-seeded. There is but one species ; 

 viz. H. dentata, a native of New Zea- 

 land. 



HEDYCRE A, in botany, a genus of the 

 Pentaudria Monogynia class and order. 

 Essential character : calyx one-leafed, he- 

 mispherical, five-toothed ; corolla none ; 

 drupe oval, one-celled ; nut ovate, cover- 

 ed with fibres, one-celled ; the shell hard. 

 There is but one species ; viz. H. incana, 

 a native of Guiana, where it is called ca- 

 ligni by the natives, who are remarkably 

 fond of the fruit, which is about the size 

 of a large olive ; the pulp is white, and of 

 a sweetish taste ; the shell is bony, and 

 separates with dfficulty from the fibres in 

 the pulp; the kernel is two-lobed : it is 

 but a small tree, not exceeding four feet 

 in height. 



HEDYOSMUM, in botany, a genus of 

 the Monoecia Polyandria class and order. 

 Essential character : male, ament cover- 

 ed with antht rs ; no perianth, corolla, or 

 filaments : female, calyx three-toothed ; 

 corolla none ; style one, three-corner- 

 ed ; berry three-cornered, one-seeded. 

 There are two species, both natives of 

 Jamaica. 



HEDYOTIS, in botany, a genus of the 

 Tetrandria Monogynia class and order. 

 Natural order of Stellatae. Rubiaceae. 

 Jussieu. Essential character : corolla 

 monopetalous, funnel-shaped ; capsule 

 two-celled, many-seeded, inferior. 

 There are eight species, natives of the 

 East and West Indies, also of Cochin- 

 china, 



HEDYPNOIS, in botany, a genus of 

 the Syngenesia Polygamia JEquaiis class 

 and order. Natural order of Composite 

 Semiflosculosae. Cicoracese, Jussieu. Es- 

 sential character: calyx calycled, with 

 short scales ; seeds crowned with the 

 calycle ; outer without down, covered up 

 in the scales of the calyx ; inner having a 

 down of five erectish awned chaffs : re- 

 ceptacle naked, hollow dotted. This ge- 

 nus, according to Professor Martyn, em- 

 braces some species of HYOSERIS and of 

 CREPIS, which see. 



HEDYSARUM, in botany, a genus of 

 the Diadelphia Decandria class and order. 

 Natural order, of Papilionaceae or Legu- 

 minosae. Essential character: corolla 

 keel transversely obtuse ; legume joint- 

 ed, with one seed in each joint. There 

 are ninety species, only one of which is a 

 native of Great Britain; viz. H. onobry- 

 chis, saintfoin, or cockshead, and but ten 

 which are natives of Europe. Most of 



these are perennial. Linnaeus relates a 

 remarkable phenomenon belonging to H. 

 gyrans, sensitive hedysarum, which is as 

 follows : " This is a wonderful plant, on 

 account of its voluntary motion, which is 

 not occasioned by any touch, irritation, or 

 movement in the air, as in the Mimosa, 

 Oxalis, andDionaea; nor is it so evanes- 

 cent as in Amorpha. No sooner had the 

 plants raised from seeds acquired their 

 ternate leaves, than they began to be in 

 motion this way and that : this movement 

 did not cease during the whole course of 

 their vegetation, nor were they observant 

 of any time, order, or direction ; one 

 leaflet frequently revolved, whilst the 

 other on the same petiole was quiescent ; 

 sometimes a few leaflets only were in 

 motion, then almost all of them would be 

 in movement at once ; the whole plant 

 was very seldom agitated, and that only 

 during the first year. It continued to 

 move in the stove during the second year 

 of its growth, and was not at rest even in 

 winter." 



HEEL, in the sea language. If a ship 

 leans on one side, whether she be aground 

 or afloat, then it is said she heels a star- 

 board, or a-port, or that she heels off- 

 wards, or to the shore : that is, inclines 

 more to one side than to another. 



IlEELo/*^e mast, that part of the foot of 

 any mast which is pared away slanting on 

 the aftward side thereof, in order that it 

 may be stayed aftward on. The heels of 

 the top-masts are squares. 



IIKGIRA, in chronology, a celebrated 

 epocha among Mahometans. See CHRO- 

 NOLOGY. The event which gave rise to 

 this epocha was the flight of Mahomet 

 from Mecca, with his new proselytes, 

 to avoid the persecution of the Corais- 

 chites : who, being then most powerful 

 in the city, could not bear that Mahomet 

 should abolish idolatry, and establish his 

 new religion. This flight happened in 

 the fourteenth year after Mahomet had 

 commenced prophet : he retired to Me- 

 dina, which he made the place of his resi- 

 dence. 



HEIGHT, in geometry, is a perpendi- 

 cular let fall from the vertex, or top, of 

 any right-lined figure, upon the base or 

 side subtending it. It is likewise the per- 

 pendicular height of any object above the 

 horizon ; and is found several ways, by 

 two staffs, a plain mirror, with the quad- 

 rant, theodolite, or some graduated in- 

 strument, &c. The measuring of heights 

 or distances is of two kinds : when the 

 place or object is accessible, as when you 

 can approach to its bottom ; or inaccessi 



