' 595 



Cljr ErcaSttrw of 2Sotany. 



HONA 



numerous, pendulous ; placentas three to 

 five parietal ; styles three to five ; fruit a 

 capsule or berry ; seeds albuminous. Tro- 

 pical plants of India, Africa, and America, 

 having astringent qualities. There are 

 nine known genera and thirty-six species. 

 Examples : Homalium, Blackwellia, Nisa, 

 Cordylanthus. [J. H. B.] 



HOMALIUM. Tropical American shrubs, 

 forming the typical genus of Homaliacece. 

 The principal characters reside in the sta- 

 mens, which vary in number, and are at- 

 tached to the perianth in groups of three 

 or four placed opposite to the inner seg- 

 ments of the perianth, and alternate with 

 fleshy glands placed in front of the outer 

 or calycine segments ; and in the capsule, 

 which is one-celled, containing a few seeds 

 and opening partially by three valves. 

 The roots of some of the species are 

 astringent. [M. T. M.] 



HOMALONEMA. A genus of Aracece, 

 consisting of Indian herbaceous plants, 

 ■with heart or arrow-shaped leaves ; an ex- 

 panded aromatic spathe ; a spadix covered 

 with flowers over the whole of its surface, 

 and having rudimentary flowers mixed 

 with the ovaries ; numerous sessile an- 

 thers, and three-celled detached ovaries ; 

 and a three-cleft stigma. H. cordatum, 

 with a white spathe, is cultivated in green- 

 houses. H. aromaticum, a native of Chitta- 

 gong, has an agreeable aromatic smell, and 

 its root is deemed by the natives to possess 

 medicinal virtues. [M. T. M.] 



HOMBAC D'ARABIE. (Fr.) Sodadade- 

 cidua. 



HOMBROXIA. A name given to two 

 species of Pandanacece, figured in the Voy- 

 age de la Bonite, but not yet described. 



HOMERIA. The name of a few species 

 of Cape bulb-tuberous plants, sometimes 

 separated from Morcea, from which they 

 differ in having nearly regular flowers. 

 The perianth has a very short tube, and 

 six divisi ns, of which the three alternate 

 or inner ones are rather but not conspicu- 

 ously smaller than the others, the three 

 stamens are monadelphous,and the stigma 

 is trifid, with two-cleft fringed branches. 

 They are rather handsome plants, with 

 linear-ensiform leaves, and leafy branch- 

 ing scapes bearing several showy endur- 

 ing flowers, usually orange-red, copper- 

 coloured, or yellow. [T. M.] 



HOMIXY. A meal prepared from Indian 

 corn. 



HOMOOARPOUS. Having all the fruits 

 of a flower-head exactly alike. 



HOMODROMAL. Having all the spires 

 turned the same way; or the spires of a 

 lateral organ the same as those on a cen- 

 tral organ. 



HOMOGAMOUS. When all the florets of 

 a capitulum, &c, are hermaphrodite. 



•HOMOGBNS. A name given by Lindley 

 to a division of Exogens characterised by 

 the wood being arranged in the form of 



I wedges, and not in concentric circles or 



' zones. It is seen in the case of Piperacece, 



the shrubby Aristolocliiacece, Nepenthacew, 



Lardizabalacece, and Menispermacece. The 



term is not now used. [J. H. B.] 



HOMOGYNE. A small genus of stemless 

 composite herbs, found in Alpinesituations 

 in South Europe. They have long stalked 

 root-leaves with kidney-shaped toothed 

 or angled blades, and flower-scapes three 

 inches to a foot in length, furnished with 

 oneortwo distant leaves, and terminating 

 in a single white or purple flower-head, 

 having all the florets tubular. Related to 

 Petasites, they differ in the heads being 

 solitary instead of numerous on each 

 scape. H. alpina and H. discolor are 

 sometimes seen in collections of Alpine 

 plants. [A. A. B.] 



HOMOIOS, or HOMO. In Greek com- 

 pounds = alike or similar. 



HOMOLOGUE. Organs are called homo- 

 logous when they have the same analytical 

 relations, or, in other words, correspond- 

 ence of structure and origin, though the 

 functions may be different ; analogous 

 when they resemble each other in outward 

 form or in functions. Affinity, on the 

 contrary, expresses a close relation of 

 one species, genus, or order to another. 

 The several external parts of a water-lily, 

 for instance, are perfectly homologous 

 with those of a common white lily, but 

 there is no affinity between them. Pollen- 

 grainsand the spores of many of the higher 

 cryptogams resemble each other in origin 

 and germination. They are, therefore, 

 homologous with each other, though their 

 functions are totally different. [M. J. B.] 



HOMOMORPHUS. Uniform. All shaped 

 alike. 



HOMONEMEiE. A name given by Fries 

 to the lower cryptogams as propagated by 

 spores which send out threads of the same 

 nature with the perfect plant, and do not 

 produce anything like a false cotyledon 

 as in ferns. [M. J. B.] 



HOMORAJSTTHUS. A genus of Chamce- 

 lauciacea, consisting of small Australian 

 shrubs, and bearing opposite linear sharp- 

 pointed leaves, and axillary racemes of 

 flowers. The tubular calyx has five ribs, 

 and five elongated hair-like teeth ; there 

 are ten stamens and a long bearded style. 

 The seed-vessel is indehiscent and single- 

 seeded. [R. H.] 



HOMORGANA. A term applied to cryp- 

 togamic plants, as consisting of cells only, 

 without vessels. It is synonymous with 

 Cellulares, and is liable to the same objec- 

 tions. [M. J.B.] 



HOMOTHALAMUS. Resembling the 

 thallus ; a term employed among lichens 

 only. 



HOMOTROPAL. Having the same di- 

 rection as the seed, but not straight. 



HONAY. An Indian name for Calopliyl- 

 lum Inophyllum. 



