ORG 



O 11 i 



fibre, striking downwards; several short tlilck 

 fibres also shoot out laterally from the top ot" the 

 bulbs : the stem about a foot (or eighteen 

 inehes) high, smooth, hollow, somewhat anp'u- 

 lar towards the top : the leaves five or six, alter- 

 nate, sheathing the stem to the spike, aeutcly 

 laneeolate, keeled and marked with parallel veins, 

 pale green, rarely spotted, and when so, very ob- 

 scurely ; the bractcs much longer than the flowers, 

 resembling the uppermost leaves, acutely lanceo- 

 late, green, sometimes with a tinge of purple: 

 the' flowers very mniierous (fortv), in a close 

 Bomewhat conical spike, i'or the most part ro-eor 

 flesh-coloured with us, often purple, rarelv white. 

 It is a native of Europe, flowerinc at the end of 

 May. 



There are difl'erent varieties. 



The sixth species has pahnatcd, compressed 

 bulbs, with the segments much divaricated : st-.-m 

 solid, from seven or eigl;t to eighteen inches 

 high, the lower part round, the u])pcr somewhat 

 angular : the lower leaves embracing the stem, 

 lowest constantly short, broad and blunt, the 

 next considerably longer, bluntly lanceolate; 

 above these more acutely lanceolate ; upper ones 

 very narrow and apparently sessile, but the niar- 

 gins are decurrent, whence the angular appear- 

 ance of the stem ; beneath they arc silvery green, 

 with parallel green nerves, above pale green, often 

 partially covered with the same silvery skin, 

 marked with numerous reddish brown spots, 

 mostly oval and transverse, but sometimes irre- 

 gular: the flowers numerous (forty) in a close 

 conical spike. It is a native of Europe. 



It varies with purple flowers, red flowers, and 

 white flowers. 



The seventh has palmated, compressed bulbs ; 

 the stem twelve to eighteen inches high, smooth 

 and firm, round below; angular upwards; lower 

 leaves sheathing the stem, long, narrow, and 

 acutely lanceolate, bright green, shining, keeled, 

 with a strong midrib, on each side of which are 

 two or three faint veins and one strongly marked : 

 the lower stem-leaves embracing, upper sessile, 

 lanceolate, acute, decreasing in size till thcv re- 

 semble the bracte : the flowers flesh-coloured or 

 pale purple, (forty-two) in a loose spike, three 

 inches long, smelling very sweet. It is a native 

 of Europe. 



The eighth species has the roots composed of 

 thick horizontal fibres wrinkled transversely: 

 the stem straight, upright, eighteen inches or 

 more in height, blue or violet, leafless but sheath- 

 ed with scales: the flowers in a very long thin 

 spike, violet. It is a native of France, ike. 



The whole plant is of a violet or deep purple 

 colour. 



Vol. II. 



Culture. — These curious plants may all be in- 

 troduced and preserved in the pleasure-grounds, 

 by proper care in removing them from Their na- 

 tive situations, which sliould always be done 

 when their leaves decline, being previously mark- 

 ed. When removed at other seasons, they sel- 

 dom succeed. 



They should be taken up with balls of earth 

 about their roots, and be immediately replanted, 

 ill a soil and situation as nearly as possible the 

 same as that from which they were taken. 

 When thus managed, they continue many years 

 flowering in a strong manner. 

 .They aftbrd much variety where the difl'erent 

 kinds are introduced in the borders and oiIut 

 parts. 



ORIGANUM, a genus aflFording jjlants of the 

 herbaceous annual and under-shruljby perennial 

 kinds. 



It belongs to the class and order Didynamin 

 Gymnospermia, and ranks in the natural order 

 of FtrlidUatce. 



The characters are : that the calyx is a spiked 

 involucre, composed of imbricate, ovate, co- 

 loured bractes : perianthium unequal, various: the 

 corolla one-petalled, ringent : tube cylindrical, 

 compressed: upper lip erect, flat, blunt, emargi- 

 nate: lower trilld, the segments almost equal : the 

 stamina have four filiform filaments, thclenn;lh 

 of the corolla, of which two arc longer : anthers 

 simple : the pistillum is a four-cleft germ : style 

 filiform, inclined to the upper lip of the corolla: 

 stigma very slightly bifid : there is no pericar- 

 pium : calyx converging, fostering the seeds at 

 bottom : the seeds four, ovate. 



The species cultivated arc: 1. 0. vnltrarn. 

 Common Marjoram ; 2. O.onitcs, PotMarjoram ; 



3. 0. majoruna, Sweet or Knotted Marjoram ; 



4. 0. heradentiaim, Winter Sweet Marjoram ; 



5. 0. jEgyptianim, Egyptian Marjoram ; 6. 0. 

 diclamnus, Dittany of Crete or Candia. 



The first has a perennial, creeping, horizontal, 

 brown root, tufted with numerous fibres: the 

 stem a foot, eighteen inches, or near two feet in 

 height, upright, somewhat woody, a little downy, 

 and often tinged with [)urple : the branches op- 

 posite, upright, more tender than the sUlk, in 

 other respects similar : the leaves are ovate, 

 pointed, finely and thinly toothed, above nearly 

 smooth, beneath downy, dotted onboth sides, the 

 edges finely ciliate, spreading: the petioles downy : 

 axils of the leaves, in the cultivated plant, bear 

 numerous smaller leaves. It is an aromatic and 

 ornamental plant, growing wild in thickets and 

 hedges, chiefly in a calcareous soil; and flower- 

 ing from the end of .lune through the following 

 month. It is found in most parts of Europe. 



