720 OSMUNDA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



OTHONNA. 



at Kew the lower part of which is ilici- 

 folious, the upper part myrtifolious. The 

 origin of the latter is therefore con- 

 clusively proved. It appears, however, 

 to be itself constant, and when grown on 

 its own roots I have never noticed any 

 reversion. It makes a neat bush, with 

 leaves like those of the Myrtle in shape, 

 but larger and firmer in texture. 



0. rotundifolius. This isthedwarfest 

 and slowest growing of all the Osman- 

 thuses, and is, moreover, one of the most 

 distinct. Its leaves are very stiff and 

 leathery, and distinguish the variety by 

 their more or less obovate outline. The 

 margins are not distinctly serrated, but 

 have a very shallow irregular lobing. 

 The leaves are each from i in. to ij in. 

 long and a little more than half as wide. 



The Osmanthuses may all be propa- 

 gated by cuttings, and although it takes 

 longer to obtain plants on their own roots, 

 they are much to be preferred to those 

 grafted on the Privet. Cuttings should 

 be taken in August when the wood has 

 become firm, and they may be struck in 

 a cool propagating frame. An open soil 

 of fair quality and depth is better than a 

 very rich one for all the forms, but more 

 especially for those that are variegated. 

 W. J. B. 



OSMUNDA (Royal Fern}. So-called 

 " flowering " Ferns made familiar by our 

 native Royal Fern (O. regalis), which is 

 found in many bogs and marshy woods, 

 and is well worth cultivating, as it is the 

 largest and most striking of our native 

 Ferns, sometimes attaining a height of 

 8 ft. It should be planted in moist peaty 

 soil, and the most suitable spots are half- 

 shady places on the banks of streams 

 or of pieces of water. It may also be 

 planted in the water. When exposed to 

 the full sun it does well, with its roots in 

 a constantly moist, porous, moss-covered 

 soil, if sheltered from strong winds. In 

 shady positions and in deep bog soil it 

 attains a great size. 



The various North American Osmundas 

 may be associated with it. O. cinna- 

 momea is an elegant N. American Fern 

 with pale green fronds ; the variety 

 angustata is smaller, and the fronds are 

 less inclined to droop. This species, like 

 O. regalis, is deciduous. O. Claytoniana 

 is another deciduous' species, and has 

 vivid green fronds, 2 to 3 ft. high. O. 

 interrupta is the same. O. gracilis is a 

 native of Canada, somewhat resembling 

 a dwarf form of our Royal Fern, the 

 fronds about 2 ft. high. O. spectabilis is 

 a slender form of O. regalis ; its fronds 

 are smaller, and the young ones come up 



reddish-purple. North America. These 

 exotic species are of the simplest culture 

 in the hardy fernery, in moist peaty soil. 



OSTEOMELES ANTHYLIDIFO- 

 LIA. A small evergreen shrub from 5 

 to 6 ft. high, mostly grown upon walls in 

 this country, but fairly hardy in the south- 

 west. It has silvery leaves divided into a 

 number of small leaflets, and clusters of 

 white flowers like the hawthorn, followed 

 by red-brown berries. Native of China 

 and the Northern Pacific, islands. 



OSTROWSKYA (Great Oriental Bell- 

 flower). O. magnifica is a remarkable and 

 handsome hardy plant found by Dr. Regel 



Ostrowskya magnifica. 



on the higher mountains of Chanat 

 Darwas, in Eastern Bokhara, and is like 

 a huge Platycodon in aspect, but distinct, 

 the flowers being of great beauty, several 

 inches across, of a delicate purple, veined, 

 and varying from seed ; the leaves are in 

 whorls. The plant likes a deep sandy 

 loam, as the carrot-like roots when of full 

 size go down to a depth of 2 ft. They 

 must be carefully handled as they are 

 very brittle. The Ostrowskya does not 

 apparently thrive equally in all places, 

 and is often disappointing. Seeds ger- 

 minate readily in a cold frame, but a few 

 years elapse between sowing and flower- 

 ing. 



OTHONNA (Barbary Ragwort}. O. 

 cheirifolia is a distinct Composite plant, 

 with whitish-green tufts, 8 in. to i ft. high, 

 or on rich soils perhaps more. It is a 

 spreading evergreen, flowering sparsely 

 on heavy and cold soil, but on light soils 

 often blooming freely in May ; the flowers 



