spreading and of a yellowish-green colour. 

 There is reason to believe that the last- 

 named species, and probably also the 

 others, do not flower every year or even 

 send up many leaves, but that in certain 



Helleborus foetidus (flowering branch). 



seasons, and under favourable circum- 

 stances, the growth of the plant is more 

 luxuriant than in others. The writer of 

 this notice has seen the Green Hellebore 

 in abundance one season, and found little 

 or none of it in the following one, tliough 

 to all appearance the locality had not been 

 disturbed. On the other hand, when the 

 plants have been purposely uprooted, as 

 was the case in a copse near Oxford to 

 which cattle had access, though the extir- 

 pation seemed complete, yet in two years 

 an abundance of the plant sprang up— a fact 

 first made known by the illness, if not the 

 death, of some of the cattle. [M. T. M.J 



HELLWEED. Cuscu'a. 



HELMET. The same as Galea. 



HELMET-FLOWER. Scutellaria ; also 

 Aconitum and Coryanthes. 



HELMINTHIA. A common wayside 

 composite weed of the cichoraceous group, 

 well marked by its double involucre, the 

 inner one of which is composed of eight 

 to ten close scales, the outer of several large 

 loose leafy bracts. It has hispid almost 

 prickly sterns, and leaves of the same cha- 

 racter, the lower ones lanceolate, the upper 

 heart-shaped embracing the stem. The 

 flowers are in small terminal heads, of a 

 dull yellow hue and uninteresting. The 

 fruit, which is beaked and singularly corru- 

 gated, bears some resemblance to ' a little 

 worm,' which is the meaning of the syste- 

 matic name. The English name, Ox-tongue, 

 has reference to the shape and roughness 

 of the leaves. [C. A. J.] 



HELMINTHOSPORIUM. A large genus 

 of the dark-threaded moulds (Dematiei), 

 characterised by their more or less elon- 

 gated septate spores, which are dark like 

 the mother threads. Many of the species 

 are common on decayed wood ; and it is 

 conjectured that some are mere conditions 

 of higher fungi. The genus is very close 



to Cladosporium, which differs principally 

 in its threads being less carbonised and its 

 fruit less complicated. [M. J. B.J 



HELMINTHOSTACHYS. A genus of 

 Ophioglossacece consisting of a single spe- 

 cies, H. zeylanica, a pseudofern, with stout 

 horizontal rhizomes and somewhat co- 

 riaceous fronds, which are divided into a 

 trifoliately digitato-pedate sterile branch, 

 and a simple spicate fertilebranch, on which 

 the glomerate verticillate pedicellate tufts 

 of spore-cases are distichously arranged, 

 each whorl being terminated by a crest-like 

 appendage. The veins are forked from a 

 central costa, with the branches free. Be- 

 sides Ceylon it is found in India and the 

 islands of the Archipelago. [T. M.] 



HELONIAS. A genus of Melanthacece 

 found in North America. They have broad- 

 ly lanceolate root-leaves, from a tuberous 

 rootstock ; and a bracteated scape, bear- 

 ing a dense raceme of nearly sessile flowers, 

 which are perfect, with a perianth of six 

 oblong persistent leaves, six long slender 

 filaments, three revolute styles, and a three- 

 lobed pod. H. bullata is found in the 

 United States, and produces, in early 

 spring, a short raceme of purplish flowers 

 turning green when fading. This genus 

 has been till lately one of the most hetero- 

 geneous ; but by separating Chamcelirion, 

 Schcenocaidon, and Amianthium, it has as- 

 sumed a more natural aspect. [J. T. S.] 



HELOSCIADIUM. A genus of low um- 

 belliferous aquatics, inhabiting various 

 i parts of the world, and represented in Bri- 

 tain by two species, of which II. nodiflo- 

 rum is the most common. This plant is 

 frequently found growing with water- 

 cresses, for which it is sometimes gather- 

 ed ; it may, however, be distinguished, 

 not only by its umbellate flowers, but by 

 its serrated lanceolate leaves. No serious 

 consequences need be apprehended from 

 eating the leaves, as its properties are an- 

 tiscorbutic, and by no means violent in 

 their effects. [C. A. J.] 



HELOSIS. A genus of parasitical plants 

 inhabiting the tropical and suhtropical 

 regions of the American continent, and be- 

 longing to the Balanophoracece. They have 

 a cylindrical branched rootstock from 

 which proceed numerous flower-stalks, 

 bearing ovoid or globose heads of uni- 

 sexual flowers : the males with a three- 

 parted perianth and united stamens; the 

 females with two styles. Some of the 

 species are used as styptics. Dr. Hooker 

 remarks that the flowers are rarely, if ever, 

 self-fertilised, but that this process is ef- 

 fected by the agency of insects. [M. T. M.] 



HELOTHRIX. A small Tasmanian genus 

 of cyperaceous plants, belonging to the 

 tribe Stirpes, and distinguished chiefly by 

 the inflorescence being in distichous spike- 

 lets. The two lower scales are barren, the 

 two upper produce perfect flowers; peri- 

 gones with four bristles; stamens three; 

 styles bifid. [D. M.J 



HELVELLEI, or ELVELLACEI. An 



