Hovea
(named after A. P. Hove, a Polish botanist, and collector for Kew). SYN. Poiretia. ORD. Leguminosae. A genus comprising eleven species of handsome ornamental greenhouse evergreen shrubs, confined to Australia. Flowers blue or purple, in axillary clusters or very short racemes, or rarely solitary; petals clawed; standard nearly orbicular, emarginate. Leaves alternate, simple, entire or prickly toothed, glabrous above, often tomentose underneath; stipules setaceous, minute or none. Propagation is best effected by seeds, which should be sown in well-drained pots of sandy-peat soil, in spring, and placed in a gentle bottom heat. Cuttings are rather difficult to strike. The seedlings must, when large enough, be potted off in similar soil, and grown on in an intermediate temperature, water being carefully administered, and the points pinched out when the plants are 2in. or 3in. high, to induce a bushy habit. After they become established, plenty of air may be admitted, and a cool greenhouse temperature will suffice. Hoveas are very distinct and desirable plants, on account of their intensely-coloured flowers, which appear in spring. H. elliptica is most commonly seen; it has rather a straggling habit, that requires to be corrected by pinching and training when the plants are young. H. pungens is smaller-growing, and more compact. The plants are sometimes attacked by Scale, which should be removed by sponging, or by an insecticide.
H. Celsii (Cels's). A synonym of H. elliptica.
H. chorizemifolia (Chorizema-leaved). fl. purple, rather small, on short pedicels. April. l. from ovate to lanceolate, pungent, pointed, sinuate and prickly-toothed, often undulate, coriaceous, reticulate and usually glabrous. h. 3ft. 1844. SYN. Plagiolobium ilicifolium. (B. R. 1524.) H. elliptica (elliptic).* fl. beautiful deep blue; peduncles axillary, many-flowered. April to June. l. lanceolate, and somewhat rhomboid, bluntish, mucronate. Branches rather pilose. h. 2ft. to 4ft. 1818. SYN. H. Celsii. (B. M. 2005.) H. longifolia (long-leaved). fl. very shortly pedicellate, in axillary clusters, which sometimes grow out into interrupted spikes or racemes, or rarely solitary. July. l. oblong-lanceolate or linear, obtuse, with or without a small callous point, all under 3/4in. long in some varieties, in others all above 2in., thickly coriaceous, with flat recurved or revolute margins. h. 8ft. to 10ft. 1805. The following forms, usually considered as distinct species, are, according to Bentham, merely varieties of above: lanceolata (H. lanceolata, B. M. 1624; H. purpurea, L. B. C. 1457); normalis (H. longifolia, B. R. 614; H. racemulosa, B. R. 1843, 4); and pannosa (H. pannosa, B. M. 3053; H. purpurea, B. R. 1423).
H. pungens (stinging).* fl. blue, one to three together on short pedicels. l. linear or lanceolate, 1/2in. to 1in. long, very spreading, rigidly coriaceous, with pungent points; margins much revolute. h. 1ft. to 2ft. 1837. (P. M. B. vi. 101, x. 51.)