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HISIXGER. Xylosma. 

 HISPID. Covered with long stiff hairs. 

 HITCHENTA. A genus of Indian herba- 

 ceous plants of the order Zingiber -acece. 

 They have tuberiform rootlets; a stem 

 destitute of leaves at its upper part , a 

 spicate inflorescence, with white flowers, 

 having a tubular three-toothed calyx, a 

 corolla with a long slender tube, and a 

 somewhat two-lipped limb, a short fila- 

 ment, channelled to- receive the thread- 

 like style, which is surmounted by a 

 i funnel-shaped stigma. The capsule is 

 . ! membranous, three-valved, and contains a 

 : number of seeds provided with a large 

 star-lite arillus. [M. T. II.] 



HOCHSTETTERIA. A genus of Compo- 

 site, represented by H. Sckimperi,a, much- 

 branched herb found in Arabia Petraea and 

 Scind, whose wiry stems are furnished with 

 distant serrated leaves, and each twig is 

 I ' terminated by a single orange-coloured 

 ! | flower-bead. The genus differs from its 

 I ! allies of the fleabane group, in the florets 

 1 ' being all tubular, perfect, and seated on a 

 ! frilled receptacle. [A. A. BJ 



HOCK-HERB. Althcea ; also Malva. 



HOCKINIA. An annual gentianaceous 

 plant of Brazil. The flowers are blue, with 

 a five-parted cylindrical calyx, a bell-fun- 

 nel-shaped corolla, five stamens having the 

 connective prolonged into a lance-shaped 

 point, and a hairy stigma divided into two 

 plates. The fruit is capsular, bursting by 

 two valves. [M. T. M.] 



HODGSONIA. A magnificent cucurbita- 

 ceous plant, very common in many parts of 

 i Eastern Bengal. The stems are described 

 1 by Dr. Hooker as slender, frequently one 

 i : hundredfeetlong.climbingtheforesttrees, 

 i ; and having their branching ends matted 

 ; together and covered with leaves, which 

 ; ; sometimes form a dense hanging screen of 

 j | bright green foliage. The large flowers, 



I j yellow outside and white inside, remark- 



II able for the long filiform twisted appen- 

 dages hanging from their lobes, appear in 

 May, and are very deciduous ; they may 

 often be seen strewing the ground in 

 abundance in the forest, when the plant 

 itself cannot be recognised ainidst the 

 canopy of vegetation above the traveller's 

 head. The great melon-like fruit, called 

 Kathior-pot by the Lepchas, ripens in au- 

 tumn and winter. Its coarse hard green 

 pulp exudes a gummy fluid in great abun- 

 dance, but is austere and uneatable. 



HOFFMAN T NIA. The name of a West 

 Indian cinchonaceous herb, with hairy 

 branches, ovate rough leaves, and axillary 

 many-flowered peduncles. The parts of the 

 flower are in fours; the corolla salver- 

 shaped ; the anthers sessile ; the stigma 

 blunt on the end of a simple style ; the 

 fruit two-celled, many-seeded. [M. T. M.] 



HOFFMANSEGGIA. A genus of Legu- 

 mino8(B, nearly related to Cassia, but dif- 

 fering from it in the calyx segments being 

 united by their margins so as to form a 



five-toothed cup. It consists of about 

 fifteen species distributed over California, 

 Mexico, the temperate parts of Peru and 

 Chili, extending nearly to the extreme 

 south. They are neat little perennials, 

 with bipinnate leaves often marked with 

 black dots ; and the pretty yellow flowers 

 are arranged in racemes which arise from 

 opposite the leaves. [A. A. B.] 



HOFMEISTERELLA eumicroscopica is 

 a little epiphytal orchid of Peru, belonging 

 to the Vandece, nearly related to Telipogon, 

 and remarkable for the very long beak 

 hanging down in front of the stigma. The 

 plant is stemless, with a few fleshy roots, 

 a tuft of lance-shaped leaves, and a short 

 flexuous spike bearing a few small yellow 

 flowers. [A. A. B.] 



HOGMEAT. Boerhaavia decumbens. 



HOGWEED. Heracleum Sphondylium ; 



also Polygonum aviculare, and Boerhaavia. 

 —, POISONOUS. Aristolochia grandijlora. 



HOHENACKERIA. A genus of umbelli- 

 fers characterised by having the styles 

 awl-shaped and bent back, and the fruit 

 compressed laterally, somewhat pear- 

 shaped, and having a cylindrical beak 

 crowned by the Ave persistent sharp teeth 

 of the calyx ; each half of the fruit has 

 five obtuse strong ridges and narrow 

 grooves between. The only species is a 

 small annual (or biennial ?) plant, H. bu- 

 pleurifolia, a native of Armenia, with very 

 short decumbent stems, long serrulate 

 leaves, and small greenish flowers. [G. D.] 



HOHENBERGIA. A genus of Brazilian 

 bromeliaceous herbs, distinguished from 

 Billb'ergia and other genera by the perianth, 

 the outer segments of which are unequal, 

 the twcf- posterior segments, being some- 

 what pyramidal winged and keeled, the 

 anterior one'convex outwardly and short- 

 er ; while the inner segments are longer, 

 petal-like, occasionally provided with a 

 minute scale at the base, and ultimately 

 spirally twisted, as also are the three linear 

 s'tignias. ' *_ ' [M. T. MJ 



HOITZIA. A genus of Polemoniacew, 

 containing seven species, natives of Mexi- 

 co. They are, rigi'd or herbaceous under- 

 shrubs, with/alternate leaves, and axillary 

 jabwecs. crowded at the tops of thebranches, 

 with many bracts below the calyx. The 

 calyx is tubular and live-cleft ; the corolla 

 funnel-shaped, with the limb divided into 

 five unequal laciniae, and the stamens ex- 

 serted. There are but few ovules in each 

 of the three cells of the ovary. [W. C] 



HOLACANTHA. A name expressive of 

 the thorny character of the shrub to which 

 it is applied, and which forms a genus of 

 Simarubacew. It is a native of the deserts 

 of Mexico and California, has no leaves, 

 but is beset with strong spines. The 

 flowers are small and unisexual, with a 

 seven or eight-parted calyx, and seven or 

 eight petals. [M. T. M.J 



HOLARRHENA. A genus of dogbanes, 



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