O P H 



O P H 



itmiding tlic severity of most winters in tlie open 

 air. 



The founli sort sbouki have the seeds sown in 

 the early spring nn an open border, the plants 

 being afterwards projierly thinned and kept clean 

 from weeds. It niav likewise be raised I'roni 

 filips plantcol out at the same season. It is very 

 bardv, and requires little trouble in its cultivation. 

 They are all plants whieh afford ornament and 

 variety in theborders, or amongother potted plants 

 of the green-house kind. 



OPHIOXYLUM, a genus containing a plant 

 of the shrubby climbing kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Vohjgamla 

 JMonoecia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 ylpocinccc. 



The characters are : that in the hermaphrodite 

 flowers, tlie calyx is a five-cleft perianthium, 

 acute, erect, very small : the corolla is one- 

 petalled, funnel-form : tube long, filiform, thick- 

 ened in the middle : border five-parted, spreading 

 a little, without a nectary: the stamina have five 

 filaments, very short, in the middle of the tube: 

 anthers acuminate : the pistillum is a superior 

 germ, roundish: style filiform, the length of the 

 stamens : sligma capitate : the periearpiuni is a 

 berry twin, two-celled : the seeds solitary, round- 

 ish. Male flowers on the same plant: the calyx 

 as in the hermaphrodites (bifid) : corolla onc- 

 petalled, funnel-form: tube long: border five- 

 rleft : nectary in the mouth of the corolla, cy- 

 lindric, quite entire : the stamina have two 

 filaments, very short : anthers acuminate, con- 

 verging within the nectary. 



The species is 0. serpcntlnum, Scarlet-flow- 

 ered Ophioxylum. 



It has the stem upright, round, quite simple: 

 the leaves in fours placed cross-wise, lanceolate- 

 ovate, smooth, acuminate, petioled : nectary like 

 that of narcissus ; but according toBurmann the 

 stem is three-cornered, jointed, stiiated; at each 

 joint are threeleaves, which are oblong acuminate, 

 entire not serrate, in which they differ from those 

 of the peach-tree, whose form they resemble : 

 petioles short; at the top of the stem are many 

 florets in a sort of nmbel ; and Jussieu describes 

 it as a shrub with three or four leaves in whorls; 

 flowers glomerate, terminating, males n)ixcd 

 with the hermaphrodites, two-staniened only, 

 with a cylindric entire crown at the throat of 

 the tube, without any germ: the berry fleshy, 

 two-lobed, within a very small three- or five-cleft 

 calyx, lenticular-compressed, two-celled, of a 

 brick-red : it is a native of the East Indies, 

 flowering in Way and the following month. 



Culture. — This may be raised by seeds, which 

 should be sown in pots in the early spring and 

 be plunged in a bark hot-bcdj and when the 



plants have attained some growth, ren-oved into 

 separate pots and re-plunged in the bark liot-bed 

 of the stove, where the plants must be constantly 

 kept. It may likewise be increased by layers and 

 cuttings, which should be laid down or planted 

 out at the same season and have tlie same sort of 

 management as those procured from seeds. 

 They are ornamental stove plants. 

 Oi'IIRVS, a genus comprising plants of the 

 bulbo-fibroLis-rooted perennial kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Gyiiandna 

 Dimuhia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Orchidece. 



The characters are : that the calyx has wander- 

 ing spathes: spadix simple : perianthium none,; 

 the corolla has five oblong petals, converging 

 upwards, equal ; two of these exterior : nectary 

 longer than the petals, hanging down, posteriorly 

 one somewhat keeled : the stanvina have- two fila- 

 ments, very short, placed on the pistil: anthers 

 erect, covered with the inner margin of the 

 ncctarv: the ])istillum is an oblong germ, con- 

 torted, inferior : style fastened to the inner n)ar- 

 gin of the nectary: stigma obsolete: the pcri- 

 carpium is a subovate capsule, three-cornered, 

 blunt, striated, thrcc-valved, one-celled, opening 

 at the keeled angles : the seeds numerous, like 

 saw-dust; the receptacle linear, fastened to each 

 valve of the pericarpium. 



The species cultivated are: 1. O.ovafa, Com- 

 mon Ophrys or Twavblade; 2. 0. .?/;;?•&/«, Spiral 

 Ophrys, or Triple Lady's Traces; 3. 0. n'ldus 

 avis, fjird's-nest Ophrvs ; 4. 0. miisclfcra. Fly 

 Ophrys ; ,'5. 0. apifcra, Bee Ophrys ; 6. 0. aroiii- 

 J'era, Spider Ophrys; 7. 0. monorchh, Yellow 

 or ISIusk Ophrys ; 8. 0. anthropophora, Man 

 Ophrys. 



The first has a perennial root, consistinsr like 

 thethird of numerous thick fleshy bundled fibres, 

 and renewed everv year : the stem from twelve 

 to eighteen inches, and even two feet in height, 

 below the leaves much thicker than abo\c, and 

 naked ; above the leaves downy ; the lower part 

 of the stem immediately above the root is clothed 

 with a membranaceous spathe of two-or three 

 leaves ; about one-third of the height of the stem 

 areplaccil two very broad ovate leaves, one embra- 

 cing the other at the base, marked with about 

 seven nerves, and much icscnibling the leaves of 

 the broad plantain ; above these are two or three 

 very short ovate, acuminate stipules : the (lowers 

 numerous, in a loose spike, four inches long or 

 more, yellowish green. 1 he flowers have a fra- 

 grant musky scent. It is a native of most parts 

 of Europe. 



It varies with three leaves. 

 The second species has from one to three bulbs, 

 or sometimes four, varying from oblong, and half 

 Y 2 



