ORG 



O R I 



fibre, striking downwards ; several shorl thick 

 fibres alio sboot oat laterally from the top of the 

 bulbs: the stein about a toot (or eighteen 

 inches) high, smooth, hollow, somewhat angu- 

 lar towards the ti>p : the leaves li\e or six, alter- 

 nate, sheathing the stem to the spike, acutely 

 lanceolate, keeled and marked w ith parallel veins, 

 pale green, rarely spotted, and when so, very ob- 

 seurel v ; the bractes much longer than the flowers, 

 resembling the uppermost leaves, acutely lanceo- 

 late, srreen, sometimes with a tinge ol purple: 

 the flowers vers' numerous (forty), in a close 

 somewhat conical spike, lor the most part roseos 

 flesh-coloured with us, often purple, rarely white. 

 It is a native of Europe, flowering at the end of 

 May. 



Theie are different varieties. 



The shall species has palmated, compressed 

 bulbs, with the segments much divaricated : stem 

 solid, from seven or eight to eighteen inches 

 high, the lower part round, the upper somewhat 

 angular: the lower leaves embracing the stem, 

 lowest constantlv short, broad and blunt, the 

 next considerably longer, bluntly lanceolate; 

 above these more acutely lanceolate ; upper ones 

 very narrow and apparently sessile, but the mar- 

 gins are decurrcnt, whence the angular appear- 

 ance of the stem ; beneath thev are silvery green, 

 with parallel green nerves, above pale green, often 

 partially covered with the same silvery skin, 

 marked with numerous reddish brown spots, 

 mostly oval and transverse, but sometimes irre- 

 gular: the flowers numerous (fortv) in a close 

 conical spike. It is a native of Europe. 



It varies with purple flowers, red flowers, and 

 white flowers. 



The seventh has palmated, compressed bulbs; 

 the stem twelve to eighteen inches high, smooth 

 and firm, round below; angular upwards; lower 

 leaves sheathing the stem, long, narrow, and 

 acutely lanceolate, bright green, shinine, keeled, 

 with a strong midrib, on each side of which are 

 two or three faint veins and one strongly marked : 

 the lower stem-leaves embracing, upper sessile, 

 lanceolate, acute, decreasing in size till thev re- 

 semble the bracte : the flowers flesh-coloured or 

 pale purple, (forty-two) in a loose spike, three 

 inches long, smelling very sweet. It is a native 

 of Europe. 



The eighth species has the roots composed of 

 thick horizontal (ibres wrinkled transversely: 

 the stem straight, upright, eighteen inches or 

 more in height, blue or violet, leafless but sheath- 

 ed with scales: the flowers in a verv long thin 

 spike, violet. It is a native of France, ixc. 



The whole plant is of a violet or deep purple 

 colour. 



Vol. II. 



Culture. — These curious plants may all be in- 

 troduced and preserved in the pleasure-grounds, 

 by proper care in removing them from theif ni- 

 tive situations, which should always be done 

 when their leaves decline, being previously mark- 

 ed. When removed at other seasons, they sel- 

 dom succeed. 



. They should be taken up with balls of earth 

 about their roots, and be immediately replanted, 

 in a soil and situation as nearly as possible the 

 same as that from which thev were taken. 

 When thus managed, thev continue many years 

 flowering in a strong manner. 



They afford much variety where the different 

 kinds are introduced in the borders and other 

 parts. 



ORIGANUM, a genus affording plants of the 

 herbaceous annual and under-shrubby perennial 

 kinds. 



It belongs to the class and order Diih/namin 

 Gymnosptrnua, and ranks in the natural order 

 of VerticillatcE, 



The characters are : that the calyx is a spiked 

 involucre, composed of imbricate, ovate, co- 

 loured bractes: perianthium unequal, various: the 

 corolla onc-petalled, ringent: tube cylindrical, 

 compressed: upper lip erect, flat, blunt, emargi- 

 nate: lower trifid, the segments almost equal: The 

 stamina have four filiform filaments, the length 

 of the corolla, of w hich two are longer : anthers 

 simple : the pislillum is a four-cleft germ : stvle 

 filiform, inclined to the upper lip of the corolla: 

 stigma very slightly bifid : there is no pericar- 

 pium : calyx converging, fostering the seeds at 

 bottom : the seeds four, ovate. 



The species cultivated are: 1. 0. vulgare. 

 CommonMarjoram ; 2. O.oniies, Pot Marjoram ; 



3. 0. majorana, Sweet or Knotted Marjoram ; 



4. 0. heracleoticum, Winter Sweet Marjoram ; 



5. 0. sEgi/ptiacum, Egyptian Marjoram ; 6. 0. 

 diclamnus, Dittany of Crete or Candia. 



The first has a perennial, creeping, horizontal, 

 brown root, tufted with numerous fibres: the 

 stem a foot, eighteen inches, or near two feet in 

 height, upright, somewhat woodv, a little downy, 

 and often tinged with purple : the branches op- 

 posite, upright, more tender than the stalk, in 

 other respects similar: the leaves are ovate, 

 pointed, finely and thinly toothed, above nearly 

 smooth, beneath downy, dotted on both sides, the 

 edges finely ciliate, spreading: tbenetinlesdou ny : 

 axils of the leaves, in the cultivated plant, bear 

 numerous smaller leaves. It is an aromatic and 

 ornamental plant, growing wild in thickets ami 

 hedges, chiefly in a calcareous soil; and flower- 

 ing from the end of .lime through the following 

 month. It is found in most parts of Europe. 



