522 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



OREOFANAX (from oreos, a mountain, and Panax ; 

 alluding to the relationship of the plants to Panax, and 

 their natural habitats). ORD. Araliacece. A genus of 

 glabrous or tomentose, stove shrubs or trees, allied to 

 Hedera. Sixty-four species have been enumerated, but 

 this number may be reduced ; they are natives of tropical 

 America, mostly in. the region of the Andes. Flowers 

 capitate, racemose, or paniculate, sessile, each provided 

 with two or three bracts; stamens equal in number to 

 the valvate petals ; ovary three to five (rarely six or 

 seven) celled, surrounded by as many styles. Leaves 

 entire, palmately lobed or digitately compound ; lobes or 

 leaflets entire or argutely toothed. All the species thrive 

 in good loam, and require abundance of water during 

 the summer months. During the dull winter season, 

 when the plants are at rest, but little water will be 

 needed. Propagated by cuttings of the young shoots. 

 The species here described are probably the only ones 

 yet introduced. 



FIG. 771. FLOWERING BRANCH AND DETACHED FLOWER-HEAD 

 OF OREOPANAX ANDREANUM. 



O. Andreannm (Andre's), fl. in globular heads, arranged in a 

 terminal, erect raceme. I. petiolate, elliptic, entire, or roundish 

 or sub-cordifonn and sub-trilobed, or palmate with pinnatifld 

 lobes, covered beneath, as well as the petioles and branches, 

 with a reddish, deciduous tomentum. Trunk simple or slightly 

 branched. Andes of Ecuador, 1883. A very ornamental shrub. 

 See Fig. 771. 



O. dactylifolium (finger-leaved). I. palmate, usually seven- 

 lobed ; lobes deeply divided, and measuring from bin. to 18in. in 

 diameter ; under side clothed with rusty tomentum, upper smooth 

 and deep green. Mexico. An elegant, erect-growing shrub. 



O. Epremesnilianum (Count Epr<$mesnil's). I. large, digitate, 

 long-petioled ; leaflets seven to nine, the two outer ones oblong, 

 entire, and narrowed at both ends, and the middle ones pinnatifkl. 

 1883. This is probably only a variety of 0. dactylifolium. See 

 Fig. 772. 



O. peltatum (peltate), fl. greenish-white, in globose heads, dis- 

 posed in terminal panicles. I. long-stalked, coriaceous, five to 

 seven-nerved, round-cordate or peltate-suborbicular, palmately 

 three to five-lobed ; lobes ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, remotely 

 and repandly toothed. Mexico. See Fig. 773. (R. G. 1862, 363.") 



Oreopanax continued. 



Flo. 772. TIP OF FLOWERING BRANCH AND LEAF OP 

 OREOPANAX EPREMESNILIANUM. 



O. platanifolium (Plane-leaved). fl., petals white, tomentose 

 externally ; heads sub-globose ; raceme paniculate. I. petiolate, 

 coriaceous, glabrous and shining above, fuscescent-tomentose 

 beneath, truncate and seven-nerved at base, seven-fid at apex ; 

 divisions oblong, acuminate, entire. Stem arboreous. Andes of 

 Peru. SYNS. Aralia platanifolia, Hedera platanifolium. 



FIG. 773. OREOPANAX PELTATUM, showing Habit and detached 

 Portion of Inflorescence. 



O. TMbantli (Thibaut's). fl. greenish, borne in numerous, 

 globular, stalked heads, arranged on the side of an elongated axis. 

 November. Z. alternate, stalked, digitate; segments shortly 

 stalked, lanceolate, glabrous. Mexico, 1862. Small tree. SYN. 

 Aralia Thibautii. (B. M. 6340.) 



O. xalapense (Jalapa). /. greenish ; petals glabrous ; heads 

 sub-globose ; racemes paniculate. April. I. long-stalked, digi- 

 tate ; leaflets five to seven, glabrous, shining above, dotted 

 beneath, lanceolate-oblong, acute, narrowed at base, entire, sub- 

 coriaceous, h. 6ft. Mexico, 1828. Shrub. SYNS. Aralia xala- 

 pensis and Hedera jalapensis. 



ORGYIA ANTIQUA, or VAPOUREB, MOTH. 



This is one of the most widespread of injurious 

 insects, and is common even within the limits of 

 London. Its larvae are at times very hurtful to 

 deciduous trees and shrubs of many kinds. The male 

 moth is shown of the natural size in Fig. 774. 



