hamelia

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A genus of tropical or subtropical American shrubs, founded by Jacquin in 1763, belonging to the natural order Rubiaceæ, and type of tribe Hamelieæ, having a 5-lobed calyx, 5-ribbed corolla with stamens inserted at the base of its tube, a fusiform stigma, and the flowers arranged in scorpioid cymes. The genus embraces 6 or 8 species, several of which, especially H. patens, have handsome flowers, and are in cultivation as stove-plants. H. ventricosa, a native of Jamaica, is there called Spanish elm.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. any of several flowering tropical or subtropical shrubs of the genus Hamelia