528 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



Oroxylum continued. 



Propagated by imported seeds ; or by cuttings, struck 

 in bottom heat. 



O. indicum (Indian), fl. whitish, striped with purple, large, 

 foetid, disposed in long, terminal racemes ; calyx large, tubular- 

 campanulate ; corolla tube broad, obliquely campanulate, and 

 dilated at throat ; limb bilabiate. I. opposite, large, bi- or tri- 

 pinnate ; leaflets entire, shining, h. 40ft India and" the Malayan 

 Archipelago, 1775. SYN. Calosantkes indica. 



ORPHIUM (named after the mythological personage, 

 Orpheus). OKD. Gentianece. A monotypic genus, the 

 species being an erect, greenhouse shrub. For culture, 

 see Chironia. 



O. frutescens (shrubby), fl. red, showy, in terminal, leafy 

 cymes ; calyx loose, tubular ; lobes oblong, obtuse, without keels ; 

 corolla tube short, sub-rotate. I. sessile, linear or oblong, 

 thickish. h. 1ft. to 2ft. Cape of Good Hope. (B. M. 37, 707, 

 818, all under Chironia.) 



ORRIS-ROOT, or ORRICE-ROOT. The root of 

 Iris florentina. 



ORTGIESIA. Included under Fortea (which see). 



ORTGIESIA TILLANDSIOIDES. See JEch- 



mea Ortgiesii. 



ORTHOCERAS (from orthos, straight, and Jceras, a 

 horn; referring to the appearance of the outer sepals). 

 OBD. OrchidecB. A monotypic genus, the species being 

 a greenhouse, terrestrial orchid, requiring treatment 

 similar to Disa (which see). 



fl. in a many-flowered raceme, 6in. 

 low, in 



O. Solandri (Solander's). 

 long : perianth greenish-yel 



1. filiform, with long, sheathing bases, rarely linear, h. lit. to 

 Australia and New Zealand. (F. A. O. 1.) 



long ; lateral sepals iin. l 

 s, rarely linear, h. lit 

 (F. A. O. 1.) 



A synonym of Eulophia. 



A synonym of Oplismenus 



ORTHOCHILUS. 



ORTHOFOGON. 



(which see). 



ORTHOFTERA. See Insects. 



ORTHOS. In Greek compounds, this term signifies 

 straight. 



ORTHOSIFHON (from orthos, straight, and siphon, 

 a curved tube ; alluding -to the tube of the flower). OBD. 

 Labiatce. A genus comprising about sixteen species of 

 stove or greenhouse perennial herbs, sub -shrubs, or 

 rarely shrubs, mostly natives of the East Indies and the 

 Malayan Archipelago, two or three being found in tropical 

 Africa, and one extending from Malaya into Australia. 

 Flowers pedicellate, slender, or showy; corolla tube ex- 

 sorted ; limb bilabiate ; stamens four ; whorls commonly 

 six, rarely two to four-flowered, in often elongated, distant, 

 or rarely crowded racemes. The undermentioned (pro- 

 bably the only species in cultivation) thrive in a compost 

 of sandy loam and fibry peat. Propagated by cuttings, 

 made of half-ripened shoots. 



O. incnrvns (incurved), fl. pale scarlet ; corolla villous, incurved, 

 thrice as long as the calyx ; lip spreading ; whorls sub-secund. 

 May. I. petiolate, ovate or oblong, crenate, pubescent. Stem 

 procumbent at base, ascendent. A. 1ft Eastern India. 1839. 

 Stove evergreen. (B. 173 ; B. M. 3847.) 



O. Stamlnens (long-stamened).* JL pale lilac-blue, nearly Iin. 

 long, veiy numerous, arranged in whorls, and these again in 

 racemes at the ends of the branches ; stamens projecting a long 

 way. July. I. ovate or deltoid, coarsely and irregularly toothed, 

 glaucous below. Stem herbaceous, erect A. 2ft Tropical Asia, 

 Ac., 1869. Stove. (B. M. 5833.) 



ORTHOSTEMMA. 



see). 



ORTHROSANTHUS (from orthros, morning, and 

 anthos, a flower; the flowers expand early in the day). 

 OBD. Iridea. A genus comprising seven species of 

 greenhouse herbaceous perennials, natives of the Andes 

 and extra-tropical regions of South America, or of Western 

 Australia. Flowers often two to many to a spathe, very 

 shortly stalked; perianth tube short, sometimes very 

 short; lobes ovate or oblong, spreading; inflorescence 



A synonym of Fentas (which 



Orthrosanthus continued. 



terminal, simple or branched. Leaves linear or nar- 

 rowly-ensiform, rigid or grass-like, equitant at base of 

 stem ; spathes oblong, sessile or pedunculate. > Ehizomes 

 woody, very short. The species mentioned below thrive 

 in a cold conservatory, and in such a structure do best 

 planted out. If, however, it is necessary to grow them 

 in pots, use turfy loam and leaf mould, and insure suffi- 

 cient drainage. Propagated by division of the tufted 

 rootstocks. 



O. chimboracensis (Chimborazo). /. blue, in a lax, narrow 

 panicle, which overtops the root leaves ; limb funnel-shaped, iin. 

 deep. 1. distichous, grass-like, 1ft or more long, acute. A. 1ft 

 Peru, 1876. 



O. multiflorus (many-flowered), fl. of a beautiful sky-blue colour ; 

 perianth segments ovate-oblong, uniform ; stamens much longer 

 than the style. May to July. I. linear-ensiform, about equal to 

 the scape ; margins glabrous. A. 1ft Australia, 1820. (B. R. 

 1090, under name of Siayrinchium cyaneum.) 



ORVALA (said to be from Orvale, the French name 

 for the Clary Salvia Horminum). OBD. Labiates. A 

 monotypic genus, included, by Bentham and Hooker, 

 under Lamium. The species is a hardy herbaceous 

 perennial, of easy culture. It thrives in a common soil, 

 in any sheltered situation. Propagation may be effected 

 either by seeds or by division of the roots in autumn. 



O. lamioldes (Dead Nettle-like). JL light purplish-red and white; 

 throat of the corolla inflated, the tube almost straight. April. 

 I. cordate, unequally or argutely serrated. Stems slightly coloured. 

 A. lift. South Europe, 1596. (B. M. 172, under name of Lamium 

 Orvala.) 



ORYZA (derived from the Arabic name, Eruz). Rice. 

 SYN. Padia. OBD. Gramineae. A genus of stove, marsh- 

 loving, rather tall grasses, all *3ast Indian. Nearly 

 twenty species have been described ; scarcely five, how- 

 ever, are at all distinct, and these may probably be 

 reduced to varieties of 0. sativa. Spikelets flat-com- 

 pressed, one-flowered; glumes four, the two outer ones 

 very small, scale or bristle-like ; the two upper ones com- 

 plicate - carinate ; panicle terminal, narrow ; branches 

 slender, erect, sub-flexuous, often long and slightly 

 branched. Leaves long and flat. 0. sativa, the well- 

 known rice of commerce, supplies food for a greater 

 number of human beings than are fed on the produce of 

 any other known plant. It is the principal, and often 

 the only, food of the inhabitants of China, India, and 

 the islands of the Malayan Archipelago. The plants have 

 no horticultural value. They are easily grown, and do 

 best when the pots are plunged in tanks in which tropical 

 aquatics are cultivated. 



OSAGE ORANGE. See Madura aurantiaca. 



OSBECKIA (named after Peter Osbeck, 1723-1805, 

 a Swedish clergyman and naturalist, author of " Dagbock 

 Oefer en Ostendyck, resa," 1757). OBD. Melastomaceoe. 

 A genus comprising about three dozen species of hand- 

 some stove herbs, sub-shrubs, or shrubs, often erect and 

 setose, natives of the East Indies, China, Japan, the 

 Malayan Islands and Australia, one being found in Africa. 

 Flowers pink, violet, or reddish, showy, terminal, solitary, 

 capitate or paniculate ; calyx scaly or pilose ; petals five, 

 rarely four, obovate, often ciliated. Leaves sub-coriaceous, 

 sessile or petiolate, three to seven-nerved, entire, or 

 rarely serrulated. For culture, see Melastoma. The 

 species here enumerated are probably the only ones yet 

 introduced. 



O. aspera (rough), of Hooker. A synonym of 0. glauca. 

 O. chinensis (Chinese), fl. cymose, terminal, few ; petals purple, 

 acuminated, longer than the stamens. Julv. I. almost sessile, 

 lanceolate oblong, three-nerved, rather hispid, a little crenulated. 



A. 1ft. 



ate ob.ong, three-nerved, rather nlspia, a ntt.e crenulatt 

 to 2ft. China, 1818. Shrub. (B. M. 4026; B. B. 542.) 



O. glauca (slaucons).* fl. red or purple, on short pedicels, 

 terminal, sub-racemose ; calyx with scattered, small, stellate 

 hairs. July. I. elliptic, narrowed or obtuse at tither end, softly 

 hairy on both surfaces, three to flve-ntrved. h. 2ft. India. 

 Shrub. (B. M. 5085, under name of 0. aspera.) 



O. nepalensis (Nepaiil). fl. large handsome, in terminal and 

 lateral axillary panicles or corymbs ; petals puiplish-rose, obovate- 



