HEMl] 



HLfyt Creagurg of 3Sntang. 



580 



■wedge-shaped pinnatifid leaves having 

 sharp-pointed lobes. The involucre is im- 

 bricated , and the flowers consist of a four- 

 cleft calyx, the concave segments of which 

 each bear an anther. The seed-vessel is 

 ; hairy, of acrustaceous texture, containing 

 '< a single wingless seed. [R. H.] 



HEMICRAMBE. A genus of Cruci/erce 

 from North Africa, with the habit of 

 Brassica, having lyrate leaves and yellow 

 flowers. The pod has two joints, the 

 i lower one being pear-sbaped,emptyorwith 

 ! one or two seeds, the terminal one sword- 

 I shaped, three-nerved, three or four-seeded, 

 j the beak winged, without seeds. [J. T. S.] 



HEMICYCLIA. A genus of Euphor- 

 l biacece, consisting of a few trees or shrubs 

 j natives of East India, Java, and North 

 | Australia. Most genera of spurgeworts 

 i have three-celled ovaries, but the ovary in 

 j these plants is one-celled with two ovules, 

 I thus showing in a measure the intimate 

 connection of spurgeworts with antides- 

 mads. The species are smooth trees or 

 bushes, with alternate ovate or lance- 

 shaped entire coriaceous leaves, and 

 minute green or white flowers in clusters 

 in their axils, the males and females on 

 different plants. The fruits are oval drupes 

 not much larger than a pea, usually ripen- 

 ing but one seed. [A. A. B.] 



HEMIDESMUS. A genus of Asclepia- 

 dacece, containing three species of twining 

 plants, natives of India and the Moluccas. 

 They have opposite leaves, and small 

 flowers on interpetiolar cymes , the calyx 

 flve-parted ; the corolla rotate, with five 

 fleshy roundish scales inserted in the 

 throat below the sinuses and forming the 

 staminal crown. The stamens are united 

 at the base, free above, inserted in the 

 tube of the corolla. The apiculate anthers 

 four-celled; the stigma large, peltate and 

 glabrous. The follicles are cylindrical, 

 smooth, and very much divaricated, with 

 comose seeds. The roots of H. indicus are 

 largely employed in India as a substitute 

 for sarsaparilla : its diuretic effect is re- 

 markable ; it acts equally well as a diapho- 

 retic and tonic. [W. C] 



HEMIDICTYUM. A genus of polypodia- 

 ceous ferns belonging to the Asplentece, 

 among which it is distinguished by having 

 the veins parallel and not joined near the 

 costa, but reticulated near the margin, 

 finishing off by a straight or arcuate 

 connecting veinlet at the edge. The typi- 

 cal species, H. marginatum, in which the 

 marginal veinlet is straight, is a large 

 tropical fern, with pinnate fronds of a 

 light green colour and delicate texture, 

 widelvdistributed over South America and 

 the West Indies. [T. M.] 



HEMIDYSTROPHIA. A term applied 

 to express the partial nourishment of trees 

 from the unequal distribution of their 

 roots or from the encroachment of other 

 trees. Trees on a wall are necessarily in 

 this condition. [M. J. B.] 



HEMIGEXIA. A genus of labiates, 



having the calyx somewhat bell-shaped, 

 deeply five-cleft, the divisions equal; 

 stamens four, one cell of each anther bear- 

 ing pollen, the other abortive, the upper 

 anthers hairy or bearded. They are Aus- 

 tralian shrubs of little interest. [G. D.J 



HEMIGR APHIS. A genus of Acanthacem, 

 containing two species, natives of India, 

 perennial branching villous herbs, with 

 alternate oblong serrate leaves, and axil- 

 lary flowers, either solitary or aggregated 

 in terminal spicate heads. The calyx is 

 unequally five-parted ; the corolla funnel- 

 shaped and resupinate, with an unequally 

 five-lobed limb. The stamens four didy- 

 namous ; the stigma is simple and pu- 

 bescent. The capsule is seedless above, 

 but contains below from six to eight 

 echinate seeds. [W. C] 



HEMIGYRUS. The same as Follicle. 



HEMIMERIS. A genus *of Scrophula- 

 riaceai, consisting of small much-branched 

 spreading annuals, with opposite leaves, 

 and small yellow flowers in the upper axils, 

 or clustered at the ends of the branches. 

 The calyx is five-clef t, the corolla spreading, 

 four-lobed, and slightly two-lipped, with 

 two deeply-coloured depressions at the 

 base of the lower lip. There are only two 

 stamens, with one-celled anthers. The cap- 

 sule is globular, more or less opening 

 septicidally in two valves. There are 

 three species known, all natives of the 

 Cape Colony in South Africa. 



HEMIONITIS. A genus of polypodia- 

 ceous ferns containing a few simple-frond- 

 ed species found in the tropics of both the 

 old and new worlds. The fronds are cor- 

 date sagittate or palmate, often prolife- 

 rous, and the fertile ones generally taller. 

 These latter are clothed with a network 

 of closely reticulated lines of naked spore- 

 cases, which is the characteristic of the 

 genus. The veins are reticulated just like 

 the sori. [T. MJ 



HEMIPHRAGMA heterophyllum is a 

 prostrate herb, often spreading to a great 

 extent, a native of the Himalayas, forming 

 a genus of Scroplndariacem, The principal 

 leaves along the wiry branches are small 

 rounded and cordate, with dense clusters 

 of short subulate secondary leaves in their 

 axils. The flowers are small and pink, 

 usually sessile and solitary, with a cam- 

 panulate five-lobed corolla and four sta- 

 mens. The fruit is a succulent capsule, 

 almost a berry, but opening in two bifid 

 valves. 



HEMIPHUES. A small densely-tufted 

 Alpine plant from Tasmania, constituting 

 a genus of Umbelliferce, remarkable for 

 the fruit, which contains only a single cell 

 and seed. The leaves are radical, spathu- 

 late, on short pedicels, the flowers in simple 

 umbels on short simple scapes. 



HEMIPOGON. Agenusol Asclepiadacea;, 

 containing two species from Brazil. They 

 are crespitose undershrubs with rigid su- 

 bulate glabrous sessile leaves in opposite 



