ORNITHOGALUM 



OROBANCHE 



2409 



aOreum, Ait. (O. nurcum, Curt.), has golden yellow fls. 

 B.M. 190. Var. flavescens, Ker, has pale yellow fls. 

 B.R. 305. — O. kewense, Hort., is a hybrid of (). thijr- 

 soidcs and the var. aurciim: like O. thyrtscrtdes, but color 

 is bright buff-yellow. 



4. lacteum, Jacq. Bulb whitish, subglobose, to 1 J^ 

 in. diam. : Ivs. 9 or 10, somewhat fleshy, rosulate about 

 base of St., lorate, 12 in. or less long, the margins 

 lightly ciliate: peduncle strong and erect, 1-2 ft., bear- 

 ing a dense 20-50-fld. raceme that becomes 6 m. long 

 and about 2 in. wide, the pedicels erect-spreading and 

 the lowermost as much as 1 in. long; perianth l-i-^m. 

 long, scentless; segms. oblong, about Jij'in. wide, milk- 

 white. S. Afr. R.B. 34:307. G.C. III. 57:193.— An 

 interesting and variable species. 



cc. Number of fls. in a cluster of 50 or more. 



5. latifolium, Linn. Bulb globose, 13^-2 in. diam.: 

 Ivs. 5-6, ascending, glabrous, fleshy herbaceous, broadly 

 lorate, 12-15 in. long, I'o"'- in. wide in cult.: scape or 

 peduncle strong and erect, 1-2 ft., bearing a raceme 

 12-18 in. long and containing 50-100 or more fls.; 

 perianth about Hin. long, the segms. milk-white and 

 oblong-oblanceolate ; filaments about equal, lanceolate. 

 Tauria, Caucasus, Kurdistan, Arabia, Egypt. B.M. 

 876. B.R. 1978. 



AA. Segms. of perianth with a green outer face, the outer 

 segms. narrowly margined white. 



B. Cluster inversely -pyramidal in outline. 



6. tenuifolium, Guss. Bulb ovoid, 1 in. thick, sim- 

 ple: Ivs. 5-6, narrowly linear, 5-6 in. long, 1-2 lines 

 wide, unspotted: scape 2-3 in. long; raceme 6-10-fld., 

 corymbose or inversely triangular in outline, 2-3 in. 

 long and wide; pedicels ascending; fls. with outer 

 perianth-segms. margined white. Medit. region. 



BB. Clusters quandrangular in outline. 

 c. Number of fls. 12-20. 



7. umbellatum, Linn. Star of Bethlehem. Bulb 

 subglobose, 1 in. thick, bearing numerous bulbils: Ivs. 

 6-9, narrowly Unear, 6-12 in. long, 2-4 lines wide, deeply 

 channeled, distinctly spotted white: scape 4-6 in. long; 

 raceme 12-20-fld., quadrangular in outline, 4-6 in. 

 long, 6-9 in. wide; lower pedicels in fr. spreading; fls. 

 white, with outer perianth-segms. margined white. 

 Medit. region. Escaped from old gardens in U. S. 

 G. 5:72; 27:248. 



cc. Number of fls. 3-12. 



8. exscapum, Ten. Bulb, ovoid, %-\ in. thick, not 

 prohferous: Ivs. 5-6, narrowly linear, 4-6 in. long, 1-2 

 lines wide, glabrous, spotted, disappearing after the 

 fls.: scape 1-1 J^ in. long; raceme 3-12-fld., quadran- 

 gular in outline, IJ^ in. long, 23-|-3 in. wide; lowest 

 pedicels in fr. deflexed; bracts ^/i-\ in. long, shorter than 

 the pedicels; fls. with outer perianth-segms. margined 

 white; style very short. S. Eu. 



AAA. Segms. of perianth more or less white-faced but 

 keeled with green on the back. 



B. Blossoms nodding. 



9. n&tans, Linn. Bulb ovoid, 1-1 H in. thick, pro- 

 ducing ofTsets freely : Ivs. pale green, 1-1 J/^ ft. long, 3-6 

 lines wide, disappearing afterthefls.: scape 8-12 in. long; 

 raceme 3-12-fld., oblong-cylindrical in outline; pedicels 

 shorter than the bracts; fls. white on upper sirle, green 

 on the back, margined white, the lower ones nodding. 

 Eu., Asia Minor. B.M. 269. Gn. 32:418 and p. 77; 

 41, p. 376. Gn.W. 21:871. — Sometimes escaped in 

 U.S. 



BB. Blo.^soms erect or ascending. 

 c. Width of Ivs. .3-6 lines. 



10. narbonense, Linn. Bulb ovoid, 9-15 lines thick: 

 Ivs. straivshaped, 1-1 ^2 f- 'ong, 3-6 lines wide, gla- 



brous, glaucous green, scarcely disapiJearing before the 

 end of flowering: scape 1-1 H ft- long; raceme 20-50-fld., 

 oblong-cyhndrical, 4-8 in. long, IJ2-2 in. wide; lowest 

 pedicels 9-15 lines long; fls. whitish, keeled green on the 

 back; filaments lanceolate at base, not squared. S. Eu. 

 B.M. 2510 (striped green back and front). Var. 

 pyramidale, Hort. (O. pyramidale, Linn.), is considered 

 by Baker to be a robust, large-fld. garden form, but it 

 is said to grow wild in Spain and Portugal and may be a, 

 distinct species. Fls. white, with a green stripe on back. 

 Gn. 41:376; 73, p. 603. 



11. biflonim, Don. Bulb globose, ^-l\i in. diam.: 

 Ivs. 4-6, somewhat fleshy, linear, attenuate above, con- 

 cave, 6-12 in. long and 3-6 lines wide: peduncle or scape 

 6-12 in. high, with a lax 6-20-fld. raceme that is 3-4 in. 

 long, the pedicels strict and erect-spreading, the lower- 

 most in 2's; perianth about Jsin. long; segms. ovate- 

 lanceolate and subacute, the back with a narrow green 

 stripe; style short (1 line long). Chile, Peru. G. 26: 129. 

 — Said to be a good species for greenhouse decoration. 



cc. Width of It's. 9-18 lines. 



12. longebracteatum, Jacq. Bulb ovoid, 3-4 in. 

 thick: Ivs. 5-6, rather fleshy, glabrous, lanceolate, 

 132-2 ft. long, J^-lJi in. wide, persistent until after 

 flowering: scape 13;^-2 ft. long; raceme dense, 30-60- 

 fld., oblong-cylindrical, 6-9 in. long, 15-18 lines wide; 

 lowest pedicels 9-12 lines long; fls. whitish, keeled green 

 on the back; bracts 9-15 lines long; filaments alternately 

 linear and lanceolate at the base. S. Afr. 



13. caudatum, Ait. Bulb ovoid, 3-4 in. thick: Ivs. 

 5-6, fleshy-herbaceous, lorate, 13-2-2 ft. long," 1-13^ in. 

 wide: scape lyi-'i ft. long; raceme dense, 3i~l ft. long: 

 perianth 3 sin- long, white; banded green on face, and 

 keeled green; stamens three-fourths the length of 

 perianth; bracts 6-9 lines long; filaments alternately 

 lanceolate and quadrate at the base. S. Afr. B.M. 

 805.— Window plant. 



AAAA. Segms. of perianth while, un.th a brown or greenish 

 yellow eye, revolute. 



14. revoliitum, Jacq. Bulb globose, 1 in. or less diam. 

 Ivs. 5-6, lanceolate, 6-9 in. long, 6-9 lines wide: pedun- 

 cle or scape terete and stiff, 1 ft. high, bearing a dense 

 subcorymbose raceme; fls. not keeled with green, white 

 with yellowish eye; segms. oblong and obtuse, 34in. 

 broad, reflexing or turning back from near the base; 

 style very short and stout. S. Afr. B.M. 653. B.R. 315. 



WiLHELM Miller. 

 L. H. B.t 



ORNITHOPUS {bird's foot, referring to form of pod). 

 Leguminbsse . A few plants allied to Coronilla and Scor- 

 piurus, from the Canary Isls. through Eu. to W. Asia; 

 and also in Trop. Afr. and S. Brazil. They are little 

 known horticulturally. The fls. are very small, whitish, 

 rose or yellow in umbels, papilionaceous; standard 

 nearly orbicular; wings oblong; keel obtuse and nearly 

 straight; stamens diadelphous: pod much exceeding 

 the calyx, separating into 1-seeded joints or parts. 

 They are slender spreading annuals with pinnate Ivs. 

 and axillary peduncles. 



The genus is known in cult, in the serradella, a forage 

 plant in Eu., but of very small importance in this coun- 

 try. It is 0. satiims, Brot., of Spain and Morocco: 

 slender-stemmed and much-branched annual, 13^-2 ft., 

 with strong tap-root: Ifts. many, ovate: fls. rose-colored, 

 in few-fld. umbels. It is sown in early spring, 40-60 

 lbs. of seed to the acre. L H B 



OROBANCHE (old Greek; said to be given because 

 the species .strangle or kill the orobus or vetch). Oroban- 

 chacese. Broom-Rape. Parasitic herbs of purple or 

 brown color, without green foliage, growing on the 

 ground and attached to the roots of other plants. Other 

 genera of the family are .\phyllon and Lathraea, which 



