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AN ENCYCLOPÆDIA OF HORTICULTURE. 
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483 
Omphalodes - continued. ; 
» with denticulated, ciliated margins. Branches’ terminatin 
& da leone racemes. h. 6in. to 12in. Bouth. Barope &e., 1748 
* nnual, : 
0. Lucilize (Lucilia’s).* 7 lilac-blue, nearly zin. in diameter, 
much larger than those of O. verna. Summer. 
radical ones narrowed into a long footstalk ; cauline ones sessile, 
$ and the upper ovate. h. țin. to 6in. Mountains of Greece 
b and Asia Minor, 1873. A handsome perennial rock plant. 
(B. M. 6047.) 
O. nitida (shining). f. white; racemes very long, ebracteate; 
po and calyces adpressedly pilose. May. (. oblong-lanceo- 
ite, nerved, glabrous and shining ve, pubescent beneath ; 
lower ones long-stalked; upper ones ` sessile. Stem erect, 
“= "branched, glabrous. h. 2ft. Portugal, 1812. Perennial. (B. M. 
~ 2529.) 
* * 
AdRARIRE. An order of inodorous, annual 
Adr r herbs, rarely shrubs or trees, a few being 
«aq t ey & found $ all temperate regions, but 
re rare in the tropics. owers generally hermaphro- 
usually and solitary, or else spicate or race- 
ze at the ti aoe the branchlets, rarely paniculate; 
tube adnaté to the ovary; lobes two or four, rarely 
= “five or six, valvate; petals often two or four (rarely 
none), inserted at the base of the disk, fugacious, twisted. 
Fruit capsular, nut or berry-like. Leaves opposite and 
alternate, membranous, entire or rarely pinnatifid, 
Sometimes toothed or serrated; stipules none. The 
Er. ei contain mucous and, occasionally, somewhat 
N W astri nt principles. The berries, as a rule, are sweet 
and edible; while the roots of several species of nothera 
are also eaten. The order comprises twenty-two genera 
and about 300 species. Illustrative genera are: Fuchsia, 
Gaura, Enothera, and Trapa. . 
ON LUM (from onkos, a tumour; referring to the 
warty erest on the base of the labellum). ORD. Orchidee. 
A large genus of epiphytal orchids, inhabiting tropical 
America and the West Indies. Over 250 species have 
been described, and a large proportion of these have 
been, or are still, cultivated in English collections; whilst 
additions are being frequently made, both to the number 
of species and to those in cultivation. The flowers show 
Pea remarkable variety, both as regards size, form, and 
2 col r; in the latter, yellow predominates. They are 
3 either in long, flexuose racemes, or in dense, 
y clustering spikes, a few being distinguished by one- 
flowered scapes; peduncles from the base of the matured 
pseudo - b s generally accompany the new growth. 
Leaves variable in size and form, often thick and leathery, 
sometimes thin and papery. Pseudo-bulbs generally 
compressed laterally, ovate-oblong, rotundate, or cylin- 
drical; in a few species almost or entirely suppressed. 
From an altitude of 12,000ft. or 14,000ft., where snow 
and frost are frequent, and where, at all times, the 
atmosphere is cool, and laden with moisture, several of 
our popular garden Oncidiums are obtained ; and from this 
extreme elevation, down to the hot, moist valleys of 
the most tropical parts of America, the species are 
found luxuriating under very varied conditions. Some 
of them grow well only when kept in bright sunlight 
and a tropical temperature, whilst others require shade, 
with a medium amount of heat and moisture; others, 
again, thrive oniy when kept quite cool and moist, and 
placed out of the reach of direct sunshine. 
The wide range of distribution over which the On- 
' cidiums extend, and the often wide difference in the 
conditions under which they grow in a state of nature, 
suggest that, for their cultivation here, houses of both 
tropical and intermediate, as well as cool, temperatures 
are necessary, if a representative collection is to be 
l. oblong-obtuse, | 
Oncidium—continued. 
grown. Taking, first, the tropical species, of which O. 
Cavendishianum, O. Lanceanum, and O. Papilio may be 
cited as mples, it will be found that, to grow these 
well, a moist stove is necessary, and that, during the 
season when growth is most vigorous, the conditions 
requisite in the case of East Indian orchids must be 
maintained for these tropical Oncidiums. During winter, 
the temperature may be lowered to that of an inter- 
mediate house, viz., from 55deg. to 60deg. in the day, 
and 50deg. at night, and the moisture in the air and at 
the root be reduced to a minimum. The large-leaved, 
strong-growing species are best managed when planted 
in baskets or pots, with a good quantity of peat, 
sphagnum, and charcoal about their roots; whilst the 
smaller kinds may be fastened on to rafts or blocks, and 
suspended near the glass. ‘These last must be watched 
during warm weather, and prevented from becoming 
parched; a dip in a pail of water once or twice a day 
being good for them, even when growing in a house 
where a continual, moist atmosphere is maintained. 
The species requiring what is termed an inter- 
mediate house, such as is usually provided for Cattleyas, 
or even where shrubby Begonias are grown, may be 
treated as advised for the above as regards moisture, 
light, potting or rafts, and rest. A considerable number 
of Oncidiums belong to this intermediate section, some 
of the most familiar of them being O. crispum, O. Jonesi- 
anum, O. macranthum, O. Marshallianum, O. serratum, 
O. varicosum, &. Probably, the most beautiful of the 
Oncidiums are to be found in this group, and if a 
collection of them were selected from those enumerated 
below, the wonderful form and exquisite beauty of their 
flowers would be a source of much greater delight than 
is generally understood to belong to the genus. The 
distinct and handsome O. Jonesianum is somewhat 
exceptional in its requirements, as it makes its growth 
during our autumn and winter, and should be kept 
as cool and dry as possible from April to September, 
the period when almost all the other kinds are growing 
vigorously. 
Of the really cool species, there are yet many of re- 
markable beauty and distinctness. As they may be 
grown in a house or pit, from which in winter frost 
alone is excluded, and in summer the temperature kept 
cool, and the air as fresh and moist as possible, they 
may be enjoyed by those who do not care to provide 
heated structures for Orchids. Some of them—for in- 
stance, O. cucullatum and its forms—are found at very 
high elevations, where frost is frequent; and O. emulum 
is equally cool in its native haunts. They require plenty 
of moisture, both at the root and in the air about 
them, all the year round; and generally, they succeed 
best when planted in pots, using for this purpose a 
mixture of peat, sphagnum, and charcoal. 
Propagation is effected by division of the plants. A 
few of the species which produce long flower-racemes 
- develop young plants in the axils of the branches of 
these, as in the genera Epidendrum and Phalenopsis. 
In the following list of species, those marked T. are 
tropical, and require stove treatment; while those marked 
C. will thrive in a cool house. The remaining species 
require an intermediate temperature. 
r. e "oni, ae 
colour, shaded with carmine ; spikes from lft. to 2ft. long. Peru, 
1866. A distinct and elegant species. y 
O. æmulum (rivalling).* fl. very large; dorsal sepal of a warm 
cinnamon colour, nearly reniform in shape ; lateral sepals longer, 
of a yellowish-brown or cinnamon colour; petals very bright 
cinnamon, all the segments nicely crisped or wavy ; lip marked 
with purple-violet, yellow at its base, with reddish-brown streaks, 
Peru, &c., A vigorous-growing species, a worthy rival to 
0. macranthum. (B. M. 5980.) 
O. alcicorne (stag’s-horn). fl, yellow, with pallid streaks, 
— 1672 ligulate, Pseudo-bulbs oblong, 2 mer 
