148 



HENDEKSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS. 



NYC 



A eenus of verv handsome shrubs or small 

 trees from Swan River, Australia, remarkable as 

 being the only one in this order of parasites that 

 crows on the ground. From its abundance ot 

 brilliant orange-colored flowers, the colonists 

 call it the Flame-tree or Tree of Fire. 

 Nyctanthes. Sad Tree. From nyctos, night, j 

 and dttlhtM, a flower ; the flowers open in the i 

 evening. Linn. Diandria-Monoyynia. Nat. Ord. 



''''"'" -u v 



The only species is a free-flowering shrub or 

 small tree, native of India. The flowers open 

 only in the evening, and drop before morning. | 

 Their fragrance perfumes the air at night. The 

 flowers are gathered in the morning, and worn 

 as necklaces, and in the hair, by the native wo- 

 men. As it loses its brightness during the day 

 it has received its specific name, X. arbor tristis, 

 or Sad Tree. 



Nycterinia. From nyderinos, nocturnal; the 

 flowers being fragrant during the evening. Linn. , 

 ]>i<ly>M>nia-Angiospermia. Nat. Ord. Scrophula- j 

 riacece. 



A genus of half-hardy annuals, perennials, or 

 tinder-shrubs, natives of the Cape of Good Hope. 

 A few of the species have been under cultiva- 

 tion, but they are chiefly plants of little interest. 



Nymphsea. Water Lily. From nymphe, a water 

 nymph. Linn. Polyandria-Monogynia. Nat. Ord. 



This genus consists of beautiful water plants 

 found in lakes, ponds, and rivers in almost all j 

 parts of the world. N. odorata is the double white I 

 Water Lily or Pond Lily so common and well- j 

 known throughout the Eastern and Southern 

 States. Of this species there are several varie- 

 ties, mostly having pure white flowers, remark- 

 able for their fragrance. There is, on the Island 

 of Nan tucket, also near Barnstable, Mass., a va- 

 riety with pinkish flowers, and rarely with bright 

 pink-red flowers. They are exceedingly beau- 

 tiful, and valued highly for their rarity. The 

 cultivation of all our native species in tubs on 

 the lawn, or wherever desired, is attended with 



OCY 



but little difficulty. The roots should be ob- 

 tained from their native habitat as early in spring 

 as possible, or at least before they have made 

 much growth. Take any tub or cask, say eigh- 

 teen inches in depth, put in good rich loam or 

 muck to the depth of six or eight inches, in which 

 plant the roots, barely covering them, and fill the 

 cask with water, replenishing it as it loses by 

 evaporation. In winter empty the water and re- 

 move to a cold cellar, or protect from hard freez- 

 ing by a covering of leaves. This is all the care 

 and trouble required to produce flowers almost 

 as fine as are found in their natural homes. Ar- 

 tificial ponds can be made upon the lawn with 

 biit little expense, in which the Nymp.haea may 

 be grown with less trouble even than in tubs. 

 Dig out a basin-shaped pond of any desired size, 

 to the depth of two and a half feet in the center, 

 cement in the same manner as for a cistern, put 

 in some earth, and plant the same as in a tub. 

 Cover over with boards upon the approach of 

 cold weather, and then cover all with leaves or 

 coarse litter sufficient to protect the cement from 

 frost. This will not only furnish beautiful aqua- 

 tic flowers, but will attract thousands of birds, 

 particularly robins, daily for their baths. The 

 Water Lily, when expanded, towards evening has 

 the peculiarity of enticing myriads of insects to 

 light on its petals, the petals gradually close as 

 evening falls, and the insects are imprisoned. 

 Nyssa. Tupelo, Pepperidge, Sour Gum. From 

 Nyssa, a water nymph; because of the habitat 

 of the species. Linn. Polygamfa-Dioecia. Nat. 

 Ord. Alanr/iacece. 



A genus of beautiful low-growing trees, com- 

 mon in moist woodlands and low grounds 

 throughout the United States. The wood is 

 very tough and difficult to split, and on that ac- 

 count it is valued for hubs of carriage wheels, 

 hatter's blocks, and similar work. Tho foliage 

 of this genus is remarkable for its fine glossy 

 verdure during summer, and its rich crimson 

 tints in autumn, when it is one of the brightest 

 ornaments of the forest. 



o. 



/\ak. The popular name for the trees of the 



\J genus tyiercus, which see. 



Oat. See A < 



Oak-leaved. Geranium. See Pelargonium. 



Obeliscaria. From obelisk, obelisk, in allusion 

 to the elevated disk of the flower. Linn. >>//>/<- 

 nesin-Poli/'iitinifi-Fritstratiiii. Nat. Ord. Asterac&i'. 

 A small genus of half-hardy, showy peren- 

 nials, common in Texas. They too closely re- 

 semble their allied species, the Rudbeckui, to be- 

 come favorites in the garden. 



Oberonia. Derivation of name unknown. Linn. 

 Qynnnr't<i-M,m'i,,<lria. Nat. Ord. Orrhidacecr,. 



A genus of Orchids, all epiphytal, having ter- 

 minal spikes of minute flowers, of but little in- 

 terest except to botanists. In reference to the 

 genus Dr. Lindley says: " The resemblance to 

 insects and other animal forms, which have 

 been perceived in the Orchidaceous plants of 

 Europe, and which have given rise to such 

 names as Fly Orchis, etc., may bo traced so 



plainly in the genus Oberonia, in every species, 

 that it alone would furnish a magazine of new 

 ideas for the grotesque pencil of a German ad- 

 mirer of the wild and preternatural. If the 

 Brahmins had been botanists, one might fancy 

 they took their doctrine of metempsychosis 

 from these productions." They are chiefly na- 

 tives of India and Africa. 



Ochroma. Cork-wood. From ochros, pale; refer- 

 ring to the flowers. Linn. Monadelphfa-Pentagy- 

 nia. Nat. Ord. Stercidiacece. 



0. iM'jopns, a tree growing from thirty to fifty 

 feet high, is common in the West Indies and 

 Central America, and known as Cork-wood, 

 where it is employed as a substitute for cork 

 for stopping bottles, and it is also extensively 

 used for making rafts, floats for fishing nets, 

 and other purposes where light wood is required. 



Ocymum. Basil. From oz<>, smell; alluding to 

 the powerful scent of the plants. Linn. Didyna- 

 mia-Gymuoiiperinia. Nat. Ord. Lamiacecu. 



