HURA, in botany: A genus of the monadelphia
order, belonging to the monœcia class of plants; and in
the natural method ranking under the 38th order, Tri-
coccæ. The amentum of the male is imbricated, the
perianthium truncated: there is no corolla; the fila-
ments are cylindrical, peltated on top, and surrounded
with numerous or double anthers. The female has
neither calyx nor corolla; the style is funnel-shaped;
the stigma cleft in twelve parts; the capsule is twelve-
celled, with a single seed in each cell. There is but one
species, viz. the crepitans, a native of the West Indies.
It rises with a soft ligaceous stem to the height of 24 feet,
dividing into many branches, which abound with a milky
juice, and have scars on their bark where the leaves have
fallen off. The male flowers come out from between
the leaves upon foot stalks three inches long; and are
formed into a close spike or column, lying over each other
like the scales of fish. The female flowers are situated at
a distance from them; and have a long funnel-shaped tube
spreading at the top, where it is cut into 12 reflected
parts. After the flower, the germen swells, and becomes
a round compressed ligneous capsule, having 12 deep fur-
rows, each being a distinct cell, containing one larger and
compressed seed. When the pods are ripe, they burst with
violence, and throw out their seeds to a considerable dis-
tance. It is propagated by seeds raised on a hot-bed;
and the plants must be constantly kept in a stove. The
kernels are said to be purgative, and sometimes emetic.