Humulus

(hu'mu-lūs.) [ From L. humus, the earth.] (Bot.) A gen. of plants, O. Canna ben a cere, the only species of which is the Common Hop, H. lupulus, a perennial, producing annually long, weak, rough ish, twining stems, and lobed, coarsely-toothed leaves, which bear a general resemblance to those of the vine, but are harsh to the touch. The female flowers form green scaly cones or catkins, which, after flowering and during the period of ripening, increase in size, and when full grown constitute the well-known " hops" used by brewers. The scales also become covered with small grains of a resinous substance, called lupuline; and the ovary changes into a small nut which is enveloped in the enlarged sepal, and is the true fruit. Hops serve three important purposes in brewing: 1st, they impart an agreeable flavor to the beer; 2d, they check ace to us fermentation, and thus render the beer capable of being kept; 3d, their tannin helps to clarify the beer by precipitating the albumen of the barley. Their active qualities reside principally in the golden-yellow grains of lupuline with which they are covered. Besides their use in brewing, they are sometimes prescribed as a tonic; and on account of their narcotic odor, pillows stuffed with them are employed to induce sleep. [s. 466]