OSMARONIA 



OSMUNDA 



2413 



somewhat those of fli6(".s amcricaiium. Hardy as far 

 north as Massachusetts in somewhat sheltered positions, 

 but sometimes injured by kite frosts, as it leafs and 

 flowers very early. It prefers a humid soil and a partly 

 shaded situation. Propagation is by seeds sown after 

 maturity or stratified, and by suckers. 



cerasiformis, Greene (Xulldllia ccrasifdrmis, Torr. & 

 Gray). Shrub, 6-15 ft., sometimes tree-like: branchlets 

 glabrous: Ivs. oblong-lanceolate, acute at both ends, 

 glabrous above, pubescent beneath, 3—1 in. long: 

 racemes short-petluncled, 5-10-fld., glabrous; pedicels 

 with 2 braotlets; fls. about '2m- across; petals about as 

 long as calyx-tube, the triangular sepals half as long: 

 drupe }^-33in. long, bluish black, bloomy. April, 

 May: fr. in July, Aug. Brit. Col. to Calif. G.C. II. 

 19:309; III. 19:489; 43:266, 267. Gn. 34, p. 78. L.I. 

 9. — Greene has described 5 more species of which 0. 

 demlssa, Greene, seems the most distinct and is proba^ 

 bly occasionally cult, in Calif. It is a low shrub, 2-4 

 ft. high, with rigid upright sts. : Ivs. smaller, mucronate, 

 glabrous, prominently veined: racemes numerous, 

 denser; sepals ciliolate: drupes more roimded, very 

 bloomy. San Francisco Bay region. 



Alfred Rehdbr. 



OSMORHIZA (Greek; referring to the sweet, aro- 

 matic, edible roots). Umbelliferse. A small genus of 

 native herbs, 1 to 3 feet high, sometimes called sweet 

 cicely, but the true sweet cicely is Myrrhis odorata, a 

 closely allied European plant, the leaves of which have 

 the scent of anise seed and are used in flavoring. Some- 

 times listed by dealers in native plants. 



Perennial, slender, hirsute or glabrous, with thin soft 

 foliage: Ivs. temately compound, the Ifts. ovate and 

 toothed: fls. very small, white, in small few-rayed 

 umbels; calj-x-teeth obsolete: fr. linear, glabrous or 

 bristly; carpel slightly flattened dorsally or not at all; 

 styles long or short; seed-face from slightly concave to 

 deeply sulcate: root thick, aromatic. By some botan- 

 ists, the name Washingtonia is used for this genus. The 

 plants thrive in moist more or less shady woodsy 

 places. 



A. Ft. ivith prominent caudate attenuation (2-4. lines 



long) at base, very bristly. 



B. Style a line or more long. 



longistylis, DC. Stout, glabrous or slightly pubes- 

 cent. Canada to Va. and west to Dakota. B.B. 2:530. 

 - — Roots with a stronger smell and taste of anise than 0. 

 Claytonii. Brotherton says it is a much prettier plant 

 than the next, with larger umbels. 



BB. Style half a line or less long. 



Claytonii, Clarke (0. breinstylis, DC). Rather stout, 

 villous-pubescent : Ivs. 2-:3-temate: rays stout, 1-2 in. 

 long; style and stylopodium half a line long. Canada to 

 N.C. B.B. 2:530. 



n&da, Torr. Rather slender, glabrous, 2J^ ft.: Ivs. 

 somewhat hispid, bitemate, the lower ones 5 in. long; 

 Ifts. ovate to elliptic, 3-lobed, serrate: rays of umbel, 

 4 in. or less long, the involucels none: fr. rather more 

 than J^in. long. Calif. 



AA. Fr. without caudate attenuation at base. 



occidentalis, Torr. (Myrrhis occidentalis, Benth. & 

 Hook.). Rather stout, puberulent or pubescent: Ivs. 

 2-3-temate; Ifts. 1J4-4 in. long: umbel .5-12-rayed; 

 rays 1-5 in. long; stylopodium and style }^-l line long. 

 Sierras to Wash., east. L H B f 



OSMUNDA (from Osmunder, a name of a Saxon god). 

 Osmundnrr:^ . A small group of larger ferns, with rather 

 coarse foliage, but highly ornamental from their clus- 

 tered habit. The sporangia are formed in panicles 

 borne on the veins of reduced Ivs., provided with a 

 rudimentary transver.se ring and opening vertically. 



Osmunda.s are strong-growing ferns of vigorous 

 constitution, and well adapted for general culture in 

 any fertile soil which is not over-dry. They are deep- 

 rooted ferns and, therefore, require considerable depth 

 of soil. All the species do well in full sunlight, but the 

 most satisfactory position for all the species would be 

 a deeply dug thoroughly enriched border lying north 

 of a wall. O. regalis reaches perfection only in rich 

 wet swamps in full sunlight or thin shade, where it may 

 attain a height of 8 feet. O. Claytoniana prefers rich 

 peaty soil in moist but not wet, open or partially 

 shaded positions. It may attain a height of 6 feet. O. 

 cinnamomea is naturally a fern of the swamp, though 

 not in such wet positions as O. regalis. It grows most 

 luxuriantly in partial shade. In a wUd state it fre- 

 quently attains a height of 6 feet. (F. W. Barclay.) 



A. Lvs. fully bipinnate. 



regalis, Linn. Royal Fern. Growing in clumps 2-10 

 ft. high, some of the lvs. bearing panicles at their 

 apices; pinns 1-2 in. long, rounded at the base and 

 usually blunt. 

 Well adapted for 

 open, moist places. 

 E. N. Amer. and 

 Japan. — Com- 

 monly called royal 

 fern, flowering 

 fern or king-fern. 

 0. j ap onica , 

 Thunb., is a form 

 with the sporo- 

 phylls forming dis- 

 tinct lvs. and soon 

 withering away; 

 various crested 

 forms appear in 

 cult. O. gracilis, 

 ofTered by some 

 dealers, is prob- 

 ably a S. Ameri- 

 can form of 0. 

 regalis. O. pabis- 

 tris and varieties 

 belong also with 

 O. regalis. This 

 is a diminutive 

 form from Brazil, with slender elegant fronds, abun- 

 dantly produced from a woody rootstock. S. 3 :30, and 

 p. 42. G. 37:423. Var. Mayi, G.C. III. 40:161, and 

 var. crispato-congesta, a dwarf form, are both forms of 

 0. palustris. 



AA. Lvs. bipinnatifid only. 



cinnamdmea, Linn. Cinnamon Fern. Fig. 2682. 

 Growing in clusters 2-6 ft. high or even more, the 

 fertile Ivs. appearing earhest, entirely covered with 

 sporangia, at first green, but becoming pale, tall, and 

 slender, cinnamon-colored at maturity of the spores, 

 the sterile Ivs. growing about a crown from a large 

 creeping rootstock. N. Amer. — Very handsome for 

 decorative purposes, especially for low grounds. The 

 creeping sts. of this species and of the other two 

 osmundas are always covered with a very dense tan- 

 gled growth of blackish fibrous roots. These are dug up 

 and shaken free of soil, and are then largely used as 

 the matrix upon which to grow orchids and other epi- 

 phytes. (See Osmundine.) 



Claytoniana, Linn. Interrupted Fern. Lvs. grow- 

 ing in crowns, with the sporangia confined to a few 

 (4-10) of the median pinnae of the If., and of a dark 

 brown color. Similar to the preceding, but lacking the 

 tuft of wool in the axils of the pinnje which charac- 

 terizes the cinnamon fern. N. Amer., Japan; said also 

 to grow in India. r q BENEDicT.f 



2682. Cinnamon fern. — Osmunda 

 cinnamomea. 



