hippuris

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A genus of marsh or aquatic plants, of the natural order Halorageæ; the mare's-tails. It is characterized by having perfect or polygamous flowers, an entire calyx, no petals, a single stamen inserted on the edge of the calyx, and a single thread-shaped style, stigmatic down one side, and received in the groove between the lobes of the anther; the fruit is nut-like, 1-celled, and 1-seeded. H. vulgaris, the mares-tail or bottle-brush, grows in pools and marshes throughout the temperate and cold regions of the globe. It is an erect herb, with crowded whorls of narrow hair-like leaves (whence the name), and inconspicuous flowers, which are also whorled. It has astringent properties, and is popularly used in diarrhea and hemorrhage.
2. n. In zoology, a genus of fishes.
3. n. [lowercase] In anatomy, the leash of nerves in which the spinal cord ends; the cauda equina, or horsetail.