o 



OAK. Plants of the genus Quercus (which see). 

 The word is also applied to other plants to some extent, 

 from resemblances in form of tree, in leaf, or in hard- 

 ness of wood. In Australia, where there are no species 

 of Quercus, the word oak is applied to the species of 

 Casuarina, "from a fancied resemblance," as Maiden 

 says, "of the wood of casuarinas to that of oak." 

 Other plants in Australia are sometimes known as 

 oaks. The silk oak of florists is Grevillea robusta. The 

 Jerusalem oak is Chenopodium Botrys, probably from 

 the shape of the leaves. Poison oak is Rhus Toxicoderv- 

 dron, and related species. 



OAKESIA (Wm. Oakes, New England botanist, 

 1799-1848). Liliacese. Three species of native per- 

 ennial woods 

 herbs, having 

 the graceful 

 habit of such 

 choice wild flow- 

 ers as the Solo- 

 mon's seal and 

 more particu- 

 larly the com- 

 mon bell -wort, 

 Uvularia perfoli- 

 ata, O. sessili- 

 folia has been 

 offered by a few 

 dealers in hardy 

 plants. It pre- 

 fers a rich light 

 soil in a rather 

 moist, partially 

 shaded position, 

 and improves 

 under cultiva- 

 tion. 



Oakesia can 

 be easily distin- 

 guished from 

 Uvularia by the 

 Ivs., which are 

 merely sessile 

 instead of per- 

 foliate, by the 

 angled rather 

 than terete sts., 

 and fls. opposite 

 the Ivs. rather 

 than terminal. 

 Oakesia was 

 separated from 



2560. The white oak. Quercus alba. 



Uvularia in 1879 by Watson. Lately the name Oakesiella 

 has been applied to the genus because there is an 

 earlier Oakesia (which, however, is an untenable name 

 for Corema). By some botanists, the species are still 

 retained in Uvularia. Other generic characters are: 

 fls. few, solitary on short pedicels opposite the Ivs.; 

 segms. without callosities: caps, membranous, ellip- 

 tical, winged, acutish at each end, very tardily dehis- 

 cent: Ivs. more or less rough on the margins: seeds 

 globose, with a tumid raphe but no aril. 



sessilifolia, Wats. (Uvularia sessilifdlia, Linn. Oafc- 

 esiella sessilifdlia, Small). St. once forked: Ivs. oblong- 

 lanceolate, acute at each end; margins minutely sca- 



brous: caps, borne on a distinct stipe. Canada to Fla. 

 and Ark. B.M. 1402. L.B.C. 13:1262. L. H. B.f 



OAT: Avena saliva. 

 OBELISCARIA: Lepachys. 



OBERONIA (Oberon, king of the fairies, because 

 of the quaint flower forms). Orchiddceas. Perhaps 100 

 tufted epiphytic orchids in Trop. Asia and Austral, 

 and Pacific islands, little known in cult., but of much 

 botanical interest. Lvs. distichous, ensiform or terete: 

 fls. very small, in dense spikes or racemes, in the cult, 

 species yellow, orange or buff; sepals free, equal or 

 nearly so, oblong or broadly ovate, larger than the 

 petals; lip sessile, usually concave, entire or toothed. 



They probably 

 require warm- 

 house treatment; 

 some of them 

 will grow on 

 blocks. None of 

 the species seems 

 to be regularly 

 in the trade here, 

 but odd or par- 

 ticular plants 

 are sometimes 

 offered, as 0. 

 tahitensis, Lindl. 

 (O. iridifolia. 

 B.M. 4517, not 

 Lindl.), O. My- 

 osiirus, Lindl., 

 O. ensiformis, 

 Lindl. (0. acau- 

 lis, Hook. B.M. 

 5056). 



OCHNA (old 

 Greek name for a 

 wild pear, which 

 some of these 

 plants were 

 thought to re- 

 semble in foli- 

 age). Ochnacese. 

 Glasshouse 

 woody plants, 

 little grown for 

 the odd showy 

 bloom and fruit. 



Ochna is a 

 genus of about 



25-30 species of trees and shrubs of Trop. Asia and 

 Afr., and a few in S. Afr.: Ivs. deciduous, alternate, 

 minutely serrate, leathery, shining: fls. yellow, rarely 

 greenish, jointed to the pedicels; sepals 5, colored, 

 imbricate, persistent; petals 5-10; stamens indefinite; 

 anthers opening longitudinally or by pore-like slits; 

 ovary deeply 3-10-lobed, the lobes 1-celled, 1-ovuled, 

 and seated around a central disk or receptacle and 

 becoming sessile drupes, styles connate. 



multiflSra, DC. Glabrous shrub, 4-5 ft. or more 

 high: Ivs. oblong-elliptical to oblanceolate-oblong: 

 petals sessile; anthers as long as the filaments, opening 

 longitudinally, sepals in fr. about 4 lines long. Upper 



(2318) 



