325 
II E L 
by holding it over the fmoke or flame of a lamp or 
candle, firft fuggefted by the celebrated Huygens. 
HELIO'SrS,/ tfrqmjjXisf, Gr. the fun. ] Inflation, 
or heating the body by the Aug. 
HELIOSTA'TA, J\ an inftrument invented by Dr. 
Gravefande ; and thus called from its property of fixing 
the fun-beam in one pofition, viz. in a horizontal direc¬ 
tion acrofsHte dark chamber while it is ufed. 
HE'LIOTROPE, /. among the ancients, an inftru- 
merit or machine, for (howing when the fun arrived at 
the tropics and the equinoctial line. This was alfo the 
common name for a fun-dial. 
HE'LIOTROPE, f. in botany. See Heliotropium. 
HELIQTRO'PII FLO'RE,/. See Tournefortia. 
HELIOTRO'PIUM,/ [from the Gr. the fun, 
and t/jetto, to turn ; becaufe the leaves or flower were 
fuppofed to turn with the fun ; hence the French name 
turnfole \ or becaufe it flowered about the fummer 
folltice.] Turnsole; in botany, a genus of the cl.afs 
pentandria, order monogynia, natural order of afperi- 
foliae, (borragineae, Juff.) The generic characters are 
—Calyx : perianthium one-leafed, tubular, five-toothed. 
Corolla: monopetalous, falver-fhaped : tube the length 
of the calyx: border flat, half-five.cleft, obtufe; clefts 
fmaller, alternate, more acute, between the larger ones ; 
throat naked. Stamina: filaments five, very fliort, in 
the throat; anthers fmall, covered. Piftillum : germs 
four; ftyle filiform, length of the ftamens ; ftigma ernar- 
ginate. Pericarpium : none; calyx ereCt, unchanged, 
cherifliing the feeds in its bofom; (berry, GtsrFnei-.) Seeds: 
four, ovate, acuminate ; (nuts four, leaked or corticate, 
not perforate, G.) — EJJential Character. Corolla, falver- 
fhaped, five-cleft, with teeth interpofed ; throat clofed 
with arches. 
Species, i. Heliotropium Peruvianum, Peruvian turn- 
fole or heliotrope: leaves lanceblate-ovate, Item flmtbby, 
fpikes numerous, aggregate-corymbed. This rifes with 
a flmtbby flalk from two to three feet high, dividing 
into many fmall branches. Leaves three inches long, 
and an inch and half broad in the middle, hairy, greatly 
veined, and afli-coloured on their under fide, on fliort 
foot-ftalks. The flowers are produced at the ends of 
the branches in fliort reflex fpikes, growing in clufters; 
the peduncles divide into two or three, and thefe again 
into fmaller ones, each fuftaining a fpikelet of pale blue 
flowers, which have a ftrong fweet odour, of a very par¬ 
ticular nature, fomewhat refembling that of bitter 
almonds. It grows naturally in Peru, whence the feeds 
were fent by the younger Julfieu to the royal garden at 
Paris. Mr. Miller had the feeds about the year 1757, 
from the curious garden of the due d’Ayen at St. Ger¬ 
main’s. It flowers here great part of the year, and 
thofe flowers which come out in fummer are fucceeded 
by ripe feeds in autumn. 
2. Heliotropium Indicum, Indian turnfole or helio¬ 
trope : leaves cordate-ovate, acute, fomewhat fcabrous; 
fpikes folitary; fruits bifid. Stein herbaceous, a foot 
and half or two feet high, round, fcabrous, hirfute, fub- 
divided. Native of the Weft Indies, and Cochin-china. 
Annual, or biennial. It flowers in July and Auguft; 
the feeds ripen in September and October. 
The variety H. horminifolium, which Mr. Miller 
makes a diftindt fpecies, is a fmaller plant, feldom abo ve 
two feet high ; the leaves are an inch and half long, and 
about half an inch broad; the fpikes of flowers are 
very (lender, and not more than two inches long; the 
-flowers are fmall, and of a light blue colour. 
3. Heliotropium parviflorum, fmall-flowered turnfole 
or heliotrope : leaves ovate, wrinkled, fcabrous, oppo- 
fite and alternate. Nearly allied to the foregoing. Stem 
erect, pubefeent, a foot high; annual. Native of .the 
Weft Indies. It flowers in July and Auguft. The feeds 
came up in earth fent with Barbadoes plants to Mr. 
Newport, a merchant in London, and which lie gave to 
the Eltham garden. 
Vol. IX. No. ,588. 
H E L 
4. Heliotropium inundatum: leaves oblong, obtufe» 
hirfute; fpikes in fours, ereft; Item (hrubby. Native 
of the Caribee Iflands. 
5; Heliotropium Europaeum, European turnfole or 
heliotrope : leaves ovate, quite entire, tomentofe wrin¬ 
kled, fpikes conjugate. This rifes about fevpn or eight 
inches high, dividing into twoorthreebranches. Flowers 
white, appearing in June and July. There is a variety, 
with the flowers larger, and fweet. 
6. Heliotropium Malabaricum : leaves ovate, plaited, 
ftrigofe, quite entire, fpikes almoft folitary. Burman 
has figured this as a variety of the foregoing fpecies ; it 
iseafily diftinguilhed from it, however,by the ftrigofenefs 
of the whole plant, by the plaits and, fmallnefs of the 
leaves, by the (hortnefs of the petioles, and by the fpikes 
not being conjugate, though they are frequently two 
together. The calyxes are by no means imbricate, but 
larger and diftindt, involving the feeds even when they 
are ripe. Native of Malabar. 
7. Heliotropium,fupinum, trailing turnfole or heli¬ 
otrope: leaves ovate, quite entire, tomentofe, plaited,, 
fpikes folitary. This is fmaller than the common fort. 
No. 5, with more (lender branches, fomewhat lanuginous, 
and proftrate; the root fmall and annual. Flowers 
white. Seeds ufually one or two only, the reft being 
abortive; larger and more obleng than in the common 
fort, brown, and covered with a bark. Native of the 
Cape of Good Hope ; flowering in June and July. 
8. Heliotropium fruticofum: leaves linear-lanceolate^ 
hairy ; fpikes folitary, fertile. Stem (hrubby, two feet 
high, (Millerfays one foot,and a half, and Browne that 
it feldom rifes above five or fix inches,) very much 
branched; branches ftiff, fcabrous, and afti-coloured. 
Native of the Weft Indies, near the fea-fhore. 
9. Heliotropium Curaffavicum, glaucous turnfole or 
heliotrope: leaves lanceolate-linear, fmooth, without, 
veins; fpikes conjugate. Root annual; ftem round/ 
very fmooth, with a glaucous gloom on it. The bran¬ 
ches trail on the ground, and grow a foot or fix teen 
inches in length. Leaves fomewhat blunt, quite entire, 
upright, on very fliort petioles, fonje alternate, others 
oppofite. Browne fays, that it is eafily diftinguifhed by 
its whitifli fmooth narrow leaves. The fruit is an.ovate- 
globular berry, containing four nuts, drying up, as it 
grows ripe, and divifible into four parts; flefli thin, 
becoming the membranaceous bark of the nuts; .which 
are cruftaceous, hard, moderately thick, convex on one 
fide, angular on the other/ and in the middle of the 
angle having a deep little pit; they are imperforate and 
one-celled. Seeds folitary, ovate-oblong, having a very 
fliort beak, convex on one fide, (lightly concave on the 
other, pale. Native of the Weft Indies; flowering here 
in June and July. 
10. Heliotropium orientale : leaves linear, fmooth, 
without veins; flowers fcattered, lateral. A fmall 
procumbent creeping plant; annual. Native of Afia. 
11. Heliotropium gnaphalodes : leaves linear, obtufe, 
tomentofe; peduncles dichotomous ; flowers of the 
fpikes in fours; ftem frutefeent. This is an upright 
flmibby plant, commonly twoieet high, fometimes,but 
feldom, rifing to the height of fix feet. Branches 
round, little divided, the older ones blackifti, the 
younger fcarred at bottom where leaves have grown, 
all together forming a convex, white, handfome, head, 
vifible far off at fea. Flowers fmall, with the calyxes 
of all fo connected, that no one can be taken out without 
tearing the next ; corolla white. Native of Cuba, Ja¬ 
maica, Barbadoes, St. Euftatia, &c. on the coaft. 
12. Heliotropium fcabrum : leaves lanceolate, ftrigofe; 
ftem branched, diffufed ; flowers heaped. This fpecies 
bears the appearance of a Sherardia. It is a native of 
the Eaft Indies; fent by Koenig. 
13. Heliotropium marifbJium : leaves lanceolate, hif- 
pid ; Items procumbent, fomewhat (hrubby ; fpikes fim- 
p,l.e, alternate. 14. Heliotropium Coromandelianurn : 
4 O leaves 
