Heeria
(named in honour of Oswald Heer, a celebrated Swiss botanist of the present century). SYNS. Heterocentron, Schizocentron. ORD. melastomaceae. A genus comprising about four species of erect or prostrate, pilose or glabrous herbs and sub-shrubs, inhabiting the mountains of Mexico and Guatemala. Flowers white or pink; petals four, ovate or obovate, obtuse or acuminate. Leaves cordate, lanceolate, or obovate-lanceolate, membranaceous. H. rosea, the only species yet introduced, is a very rare but ornamental stove evergreen shrub, which can be grown out of doors, in warm localities, during part of the summer. It is a valuable stove winter-flowering plant, and succeeds best in sandy loam and peat. Cuttings of young shoots may be struck in February and March.
H. rosea (rosy). fl., panicle compound, terminal, spreading, composed of the numerous flowering branches, each of which forms a corymb of many bright rose-coloured flowers, nearly 1in. in diameter; petals four, spreading, rhomboid-orbicular, a little concave, shortly unguiculate. Autumn and early winter. l. opposite, slightly scabrous above, elliptical, obtuse, entire, penninerved, tapering at the base into a moderately long petiole. h. 1ft. or more. Mexico. Plant suffruticose. (B. M. 5166, under name of Heterocentrum mexicanum.)