htph.t:ne 



HYSSOP 



793 



bloom which soon vanishes, plicato, scahrous on the 

 margins and nerves above; petiole sheathed for 1 or 2 

 in., deeply chamieled above, roui^h on the marg'ins: 

 frnits ol)<>vate, 2'a in. h>ng, smootli. S. Africa. <L'nlt. 

 outdoorw in S. Fla. 



.Tared G. Smith and E. N. Reasonek. 



HYPOCRITE PLANT. A'uphorhht h,'(eroph}/Jhi. 



HYPOLEPIS (Greek, a scale undi'rneath). Polifpo- 

 di(ic€(V. A genus of ferus with marginal sori, placed in 

 the sinuses of the leaf, covered with the membranous 

 leaf margin. Tropical ferns of both hemispheres rart'ly 

 cultivated. Ten or more species are known. 



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

 prirkly : Ivs. 3-4 ft. long, quadripinnatitld; lower pinufe 

 1-2 ft. long, G-V2 in. wide, ovate acuminate; sori 2-fJ to 

 a segment. West Indies to Brazil. 



ITi/pohpls repens is a rather coarse fern, of easy cul- 

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

 stroug-gi'owing 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 recpiires a stove or 

 intermediate temperature. 



H. Califomica. See Ckeilanthes CalUornica. 



L. M. Underwood. 



HYP6XIS (old Greek name, of no application to these 

 plants). AmarifUiddcece. 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. er6cta, Linn. {U. 

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

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

 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, Imt 

 interesting. D. 143. G.W.F. 39. H. Btellita, Liim. f., 

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

 in Dec: Ivs. 4-12, glal^rous, a foot or less long: pedun- 

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

 and the onter segments green-striped on the liack. 



J. B. Keller and L. H. B. 



H'fSSOPUS (ancient name; but precisely what plant 

 was the sacred Hyssop of the Jews is uncertain). 

 Labidtce. 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 _ff. offiri- 

 nalls 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-Iobed : stamens 4, didyua- 

 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 tht' 

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

 2299. B.B. .3:110. Var. dlba, with white tls.. is cult. 



Hyssop is a liardy 

 perennial shrulj, i^row- 

 iiig IS in. tali, which has 

 been naturalized in the 

 United States f rcun 

 southern Europe or Si- 

 beria. Lvs. narrow and 

 entire: tls.. which appear 

 from June to September, 

 blue, sometinies white or 

 pink, borne in whorled 

 spikes, which ore more 

 or less interru]>ted. The 

 whole i>lant 1ms a stronj< 

 odor and pnn;j:pnt. bitter , 

 taste. The i.Ti-en parts 'c-^-^j 

 are ust.Ml in connectioii ' -'^ 

 with w II r m \v < i o d and 

 other |)huits in the manu- 

 facture of al)sinthe, oc- 

 casionally as a ]iot herb, 

 and as a flavoring for 

 cold salad plants. The 

 powderrd, dried llowers 

 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- 

 »nent of asthma, coughs 

 and other pulmonary 

 trouljies. Hyssop is not 

 now so highly esteemed 

 as formerly by the medi- 

 cal profession. 



This plant is readily 

 ]>ropagated by seed, cut- 

 tings and plant division. 

 The seed, generally em- 

 ployed in cold climates, 

 is sown in early spring, 

 either in drills 1.5 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 weD 

 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 V2). 



