O RO 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



ORO 



213 



below ; stigma retuse ; style smooth above ; flowers in 

 spikes, whitish yellow, with purple veins, hairy, varying-, 

 of a full yellow, finally becoming rigid and ferruginous ; the 

 lower flower is often peduncled. This plant is the only one 

 of the species which grows in such situations, or in such 

 abundance, as to be deemed a weed. It is found in Clover, 

 to whose roots it grows parasitically ; and flowers in July 

 and August. 



6. Orobanche Americana ; American Broom Rape. Stem 

 quite simple, imbricate with leaves ; corollas recurved ; sta- 

 mina standing out. The whole of this plant, which is a span 

 hi'lli, with its fructification, is yellow. It is said to be a na- 

 tive of Carolina, at the roots of trees and shrubs. I.inneus 

 received one very like it from Siberia, which could scarcely 

 be distinguished, except, by the blunt leaves. 



7. Orobanche Cermia ; Drooping Broom Rape. Stem 

 quite simple ; Corollas recurved ; bractes ovate, shorter than 

 the corolla; stem almost naked. Native of Spain. 



8. Orobanche Purpurea; Purple Broom Rape. Stem 

 simple and branched ; corollas quadritid ; stamina spurred. 

 The flowers are large : and the plant itself nearly a foot 

 hicrh, nearly leafless, downv, of a red purple when fresh, 

 but turning black in drying-. Native of the Cape. 



9. Orobanche Coarulea ; Blue Broom Rape. Stem com- 

 monly simple ; corollas quinquefid ; bractes by threes ; calicrs 

 tubular, half quadritid. Root as in the other species, with 

 fibres embracing the roots of different herbs ; flowers in 

 loose bluntish spikes, violet, with deeper coloured veins. 

 This species is i(Ot always unbranchecl. It grows among 

 grass in pastures, on the borders of fields, in Switzerland, 

 Austria, Germany, and the south of France. 



10. Orobanche Ramosa ; Branched Broom Rape. Stem 

 branched ; corollas quinquefid ; bractes by threes : calices 

 short, deeplyquadrifkl. Root a solid bulb, elliptical; branches 

 either immediately from the root, or alternate on the stem ; 

 stem and branches terminated by a thick sharp spike of ses- 

 sile flowers, each having an ovate, lanceolate, somewhat 

 carinated, bracteal scale. Native of the south of France, 

 Switzerland, Germany, and England, where it is found near 



v Beecles and Bungiiy in Suffolk ; in the isle of Sheppey, and 

 near Feversham and Rochester in Kent; about Glastonbnry ; 

 and in Devonshire and Hampshire ; in hempfields near Wis- 

 beach; and at Outwell in Norfolk. 



11. Orobanche Tinctoria. Stem quite simple, imbricate; 

 calices quinquefid, blunt ; corollas quinquefid ; lobes quite 

 entire ; spikes three inches long, thick ; flowers alternate, 

 contiguous, imbricated. It varies with blue and yellow corol- 

 las. Native of Arabia and Barhary. 



12. Orobanche Virginiana; Virginian Broom Rape. Stem 

 branched ; corollas four-toothed ; flowers oblong, of an obso- 

 lete colour, covering the stem from the very root. Native 

 of Virginia. 



13. Orobanche Uniflora; One-flowered Broom Rape. Stem 

 one-flowered ; calices naked ; flowers small, consisting of 

 six petals, five of which are red, and the sixth white, without 

 any spots. Native of Virginia. This plant does' not attain 

 to above the height of two or three inches. 



14. Orobanche yEginetia. Stem one-flowered ; flowers 

 subspat.haceous. Native of Malabar. 



Orobus ; a genus of the class Diadelphia, order Decandria. 

 GP.SKIUC CHARACTER. Calix : perianth one-leafed, 

 tubular, blunt at the base ; mouth oblique, five-toothed, 

 very short ; the three lower toothlets sharper, the two upper 

 shorter, more deeply and bluntly divided, shrivelling. Co- 

 rvlla.: papilionaceous ; banner obcordate, reflex at the tip 

 and sides, longer; wings two, oblong, almost the length of the 



banner, rising, converging ; keel manifestly bifid below, acumi- 

 nate, rising, with the edges converging, parallel, compressed ; 

 the bottom ventricose. Stamina : filamenta diadelphous, 

 (simple and nine-cleft,) ascending; an theree roundish. Pistil: 

 germen cylindrical, compressed; style filiform, bent upwards, 

 erect; slignia linear, pubescent on the inner side from the 

 middle to the top. Pericarp: legume round, long, acumi- 

 nate, and ascending at the end, one-celled, two-valved. 

 Seeds: very many, roundish. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. 

 Calix : blunt at the base ; the upper teeth deeper and 

 shorter. Style: linear. All the species, except the four last, 

 are hardy perennials, and several of them may be increased 

 by parting their roots. The best time for doing this is in 

 the autumn, that the plants may be well established before 

 the spring ; for as several of them begin to put out their 

 stalks very early in the spring, so if they be then disturbed, 

 it will either prevent their flowering-, or cause their flowers 

 to be very weak. They are also propagated by seeds, which 

 should be sown in autumn, for if they be kept out of the 

 ground till spring, many of the sorts will never grow, and 

 those which do, seldom vegetate the same year. When the 

 plants come up, they must be kept clean from weeds ; and 

 where they are too close together, they should be thinned ; 

 so as they may have room to grow till the autumn, when 

 they should be transplanted into the places where they are 

 designed to remain. If the roots be strong, they will flower 

 very well the following spring ; but those which are weak, 

 will not flower till the following year. Such therefore may 

 be planted in a shady border at four or five inches' distance, 

 where they may grow one year to get strength, and then may 

 be removed to the places where they are to remain. They 

 will then only need to have the ground digged between them 

 in winter, and in summer to keep them clean from weeds. 

 The species are, 



1. Orobus Lathyroides ; Upright Bitter Vetch. Leaves 

 conjugate, subsessile; stipule toothed. Root perennial ; stalks 

 three or four, brandling about a foot high; flowers in close 

 spikes, on short peduncles. Native of Siberia. 



2. Orobus Hirsutus; Hairy Bitter Vetc/i. Leaves con- 

 jugate, petioled ; stipules entire. Native of Thrace. 



3. Orobus Luteus ; Yellow Bitter Vetch. Leavesp innate, 

 ovate-oblong; stipules rounded, crescent-shaped, toothed. 

 Root thick, often transverse, hard, with the fibres widely 

 diffused ; stem a foot high and more, straight, angular, 

 striated, smooth ; flowers in loose spikes, all directed one 

 way, twelve or more in number; corolla pale yellow. Native 

 of Siberia, Switzerland, France, and Italy. 



4. Orobus Veruus ; Spring Vitter Vetch. Leaves pin- 

 nate, ovate; stipules semi-sagittate, quite entire; stem simple. 

 Root perennial, creeping, not tuberous, woody, black, with 

 many strong fibres ; stem about a foot high, upright, un- 

 branched, smooth, angular, twisted or elbowed at each inser- 

 tion of the leaves; peduncles axillary, an inch and half long, 

 terminated by a one-sided loose raceme of from six to eight or 

 ten flowers; corollal nrge and handsome, singular in the dif- 

 ferent shades of colour; the standard is wide and emarginate, 

 the upper part of it is red, or purple with blood-red veins ; 

 the wings are blue, the keel is blue tinged with green ; the 

 colours change as the corolla advances, and become sky-blue 

 when the corolla is ready to fall. Miller mentions a variety 

 with pale flowers. Native of mountainous woods in many 

 parts of Europe. 



5. Orobus Tuberosus ; Common Bitter Vetch, or Heath 

 Pea. Leaves pinnate, lanceolate; stipules semi-sagittate, 

 quite entire; stem simple. Root perennial, consisting of 

 tough fibres, swelling here and there into irregular tubercles ; 



