OM P 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



NO 



191 



ash-coloured dotted bark, alternately compressed towards the 

 top. Native of New Zealand. 



6. Olea Excelsa; Laurel-leaved Olive. Leaves elliptic, 

 acute; bractes perfoliate, the lowest cup-shaped, permanent, 

 the upper ones leafy, large, deciduous ; branches round, with 

 a smooth ash-coloured bark, with raised dots scattered over 

 it; flowers twice as large as those of the Common Olive; calix 

 very small, with very blunt teeth.- Native of Madeira. 



7 . Olea Fragrans ; Sweet-scented Olive. Leaves lanceolate, 

 serrate; peduncles lateral, aggregate, one-flowered. The 

 flowers are small, and white, with a scent like the highest per- 

 fumed green tea. This is a large tree, which Osbeck men- 

 tions as one of the ornamental trees in the Chinese gardens. 

 He says it is about six yards high, with small white sweet- 

 scented flowers, three or four in one involucre. It flowers in 

 July and August. Native of China, Cochin-china, and Japan. 



Olecmder, or Rose-bay. See Nerium. 



Oleaster. See Elaagnus. 



Olive. See Olea. 



Olyra; a genus of the class Monoecia, order Triandria. 

 GENERIC CHARACTER. Male Flowers, below the 

 females-. Calix: glume two-valved, one-flowered; valves 

 equal, lanceolate; outer subventricose, terminating in a capil- 

 lary straight even awn ; inner narrower, acute, folded in on 

 both sides. Corolla: none; nectary two-leaved, very small; 

 leaflets obovate, subemarginate, membranaceous, erect. Sta- 

 mma: filamenta three, capillary, very short; antherso linear, 

 acute at both ends. Female Flowers, solitary, terminating on 

 the same panicle, much larger than the males. Calix: glume 

 two-valved, one-flowered, large, spreading; valves almost 

 equal, ovate, concave, nerved; outer terminating in along awl- 

 ehaped subflexuose awn, villose at bottom ; inner narrower, 

 acuminate. Corolla: glume two-valved, much shorter than the 

 calix, coriaceous, shining, awnless, blunt; outer much longer; 

 nectary three-leaved, very small; leaflets obovate, membra- 

 naceous, erect. Pistil: germen oblong; style filiform, al- 

 most the length of the calix; stigma capillary, pubescent. 

 Pericarp : glume of the corolla involving, falling. Seed: 

 ovate. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Male. Calix-glume: one- 

 flowered, awned. Corolla: glume awnless. Swartz says, no 

 corolla. Female. Calix-glume: one-flowered, spreading, ovate. 

 Style : bifid. Seed: cartilaginous. The species are, 



1. Olyra Pan iculata. Panicle terminating; culm branch- 

 ing; roots filiform, long, thicker; leaves sheathing, as it were 

 shortly petioled at the end of the sheath, broad, lanceolate, 

 acuminate, horizontal, spreading, smooth, striated, marked 

 with lines below; sheaths pubescent. It flowers from Ja- 

 nuary to July. Native of the dry coppices in Jamaica. 



2. Olyra Pauciflora. Flowers axillary. It flowers in the 

 spring. Native of woods in Jamaica. 



Omphalea; a genus of the class Monoecia, order -Mon- 

 adelphia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Male Flowers. Calix: 

 perianth four or five leaved, spreading; leaflets two, oppo- 

 site, larger, ovate, convex, coloured. Corolla: none; nec- 

 tary-glands four, or a fleshy ring encircling the germen. 

 Stamina: filamentum one, columnar, thick, short; anthera 

 two, oblong, incumbent, connate at the top, polliniferous at 

 the edge; or one plano-convex, trifid. Female Flowers, in 

 the same raceme. Calix: perianth five-leaved; leaflets three, 

 larger, ovate, encircling the germen. Corolla : none. Pistil: 

 germen ovate; style none; stigma trifid. Pericarp: cap- 

 sule oblong, or roundish, fleshy, bluntly triangular, three- 

 celled, three-valved. Seeds : nuts, solitary, ovate, hard. 

 ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Male. Calix: four-leaved. Co- 

 rolla: none. Filamentum:. columnar, with the anthcrse inserted 

 into it. Female. Calix: five-leaved. Corolla: none. Stiqma' 

 82. 



trifid. Capsule: fleshy, three-celled. Nuts: solitary. 



The species are, M3 in bn* 'Is 1 * 6 1 



,1. Omphalea Axillaris. Racemes axillary; leaves distich, 

 ovate, acuminate, shining, on very short petioles; stipule 

 mucronate; stem shrubby. Native of Jamaica. 



2. Omphalea Cauliflora. Racemes cauline, scaly at the 

 base ; leaves distich, oblong, acute, shining; stem arborescent. 

 Native of Jamaica. 



3. Omphalea Cordata. Racemes compound, leafy, termi- 

 nating; leaves scattered, cordate, villose underneath, biglan- 

 dular at the base ; stem scandent. Native of rocky coppices 

 in Jamiaca, and other West India Islands. 



4. Omphalea Nucifera; Cobwort. Racemes compound, 

 leafy, terminating; leaves scattered, oblong, very smooth, 

 biglandular at the base; stem arboreous. This is a small tree 

 with an upright even trunk, from twelve to fifteen feet high. 

 The kernels of the nut are esculent and sapid, the cot.yledotls 

 only being emetic. The branches and petioles pour out a 

 tenaceous watery liquor. Native of Jamaica, where it is fre- 

 quently cultivated. 



Oneberry. See Paris. 



Onion. See Allium. 



Onoclea; a genus of the class Cryptogamia, order Filices. 

 GENERIC CHARACTER. Capsules under the recurved 

 and contracted pinnules of the frond resembling pericarpia. 

 The species are, 



1. Onoclea Sensibilis. Fronds pinnate, subracemose at 

 the tip. Native of various parts of North America. 



2. Onoclea Polypodioides. Fronds bipinnate; fructifica- 

 tions three-valved; root creeping, filiform, shining, rufous. 

 Native of the Cape of Good Hope, in the fissures of rocks 

 near the Table mountain. 



Ononis ; a genus of the class Diadelphia, order Decan- 

 dria. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : perianth five- 

 parted, almost the length of the corolla; segments linear, 

 acuminate, slightly arched upwards; the lowest under the 

 keel. Corolla: papilionaceous; banner cordate, striated, 

 depressed at the sides more than the Bother petals ; win^s 

 ovate, shorter by half than the banner; keel acuminate, as 

 long as, or longer, than the wings. Stamina: filamenta ten, 

 connate, in an entire cylinder; antherse simple. Pistil: 

 germen oblong, villose; style simple, rising; stigma blunt. 

 Pericarp: legume rhomb-shaped, turgid, subvillose, one- 

 celled, two-valved, sessile. Seeds: few, kidney-form. ESSEN- 

 TIAL CHARACTER. Calix: five-parted, with linear seg- 

 ments. Banner: striated. - Legume: turgid, sessile. Fila- 

 menta : connate, without a fissure. The species are, 



"With Subsessile Flowers. 



1. Ononis Antiquorum. Flowers solitary, larger than tin: 

 leaflets; lower leaves ternate ; branches almost even, spiny; 

 root perennial; stems straight, hard, smooth, and almost 

 woody ; flowers purple. Native of pastures and meadows Lu 

 Dauphiny, and the southern parts of Europe. This is ;\ 

 hardy plant, and only cultivated in botanic gardens. 



2. Ononis Spinosa; Thorny Rest-harrow. Flowers axil- 

 lary in pairs; leaves ternate; upper ones solitary; branches 

 thorny, villose. It has a strong creeping root, which spreads 

 far in the ground, and is with great difficulty eradicated ; 

 hence its names of Restis bovis and Arrete b<evf, or Oxstopper, 

 and Rest-harrow. Stems a foot and half high, slender, purple, 

 hair, sending out many lateral branches, armed with sharp 

 prickles. The flowers come out singly from the side of the 

 branches, they are of a bright purple colour, marked with 

 lines, and are succeeded by small pods, containing one 

 or two kidney-shaped seeds. A decoction of the roots hns 

 been recommended in cases of stone and jaundice. Meyric!< 



3C 



