ORTHROSANTHUS 



superposed; style-branches alternating with the an- 

 thers: seeds minute, very near Sisyrinchium, which is 

 a more variable genus, and has longer pedicels. See 

 Baker's Handbook of the Iride (1892). 



There seems to be no recorded American experience 

 with O. mult if torus. Krelage lists it among bulbs suit- 

 able for frame culture. Nicholson says it thrives and 

 does best when planted in the border of a cold conser- 

 vatory, and adds "if, however, it is necessary to grow 

 them in pots, use turfy loam and leaf -mold, and insure 

 sufficient drainage." 



multifldrus, Sweet (Libtrtia azurea, Hort.). Lvs. a 

 dozen or more, 1-1% ft. long, Y& to % of an inch wide: 

 panicle 4-6 in. long: capsule obtuse. Southern and 

 western Australia. L. B.C. 15:1474. B.R. 13:1090 (as 

 Sisyrinchium cyaneum). yy ]yj 



OR^ZA (derived from the Arabic name, Eruz). 

 Graminece. Six species of the tropics, including 0. 

 sativa, Linn., the well-known rice of commerce. This 

 is a native of the Old World tropics, and is naturalized 

 in Brazil; cultivated extensively in China and India 

 and more recently in the coast region of our southern 

 states. A marsh plant, with flowers in panicles; spike- 

 lets 1-fld. ; empty glumes 2, small; fl. -glume and palet 

 about equal, laterally compressed, keeled, the former 

 usually more or less awned. Contrary to the usual sup- 

 position, rice paper is not made from rice, but from 

 Paper Mulberry or Bamboo. . A . g. HITCHCOCK. 



ORYZOPSIS (Greek, rice-like; from a fancied re- 

 semblance to that grain). Graminece. MOUNTAIN RICE. 

 Contains about 24 species of temperate regions. Mostly 

 tufted perennials, with narrow panicles of rather large 

 greenish 1-fld. spikelets. Empty glumes thin, nerved, 

 nearly equal: fl. -glume coriaceous, becoming involute, 

 provided at base with a short callus, and at apex with a 

 simple untwisted deciduous awn. Three of our native 

 species are offered by dealers in wild plants. 



melanocarpa, Muhl. Distinguished by its leafy culm, 

 the Ivs. being broad and flat : panicle simple or com- 

 pound; fl. -glume blackish: awn about 1 in. long. Rocky 

 woods, New Eng. to Mo. Blooms late in summer. 



asperifdlia, Michx. This and the next have tufted, 

 naked culms, with flat, concave or involute Ivs. : culms 

 9-18 in. high, bearing sheaths with rudimentary blades: 

 Ivs. rough-edged, evergreen: awn % in. long. Northern 

 states to Colorado. Blooms early in spring. 



Canad6nsis, Torr. Culm 6-15 in. : lowest sheaths 

 leaf -bearing: Ivs. involute, thread-shaped: awn very 

 short, deciduous or wanting. Me. to Minn., on rocky 

 hills; rare. A g HITCHCOCK. 



OSAGE ORANGE. See Toxylon. 



OSIERS are willows used for baskets and willow-ware 

 in general. Some dogwoods are also called Osiers. 

 The various kinds are described under Salix and Cor- 

 nus. Osier culture is generally considered as belonging 

 to sylviculture rather than to horticulture, and is there- 

 fore not treated here, but the interested reader should 

 procure "Osier Culture, "by John M. Simpson, a pam- 

 phlet of 27 pages, issued in 1898 as Bulletin 19 of the 

 Div. of Forestry, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



OSMANTHUS (fragrant flower). Oleacew. The cul- 

 tivated members of this genus are usually known as 

 Oleas, but Osmanthus is distinguished from Olea by its 

 imbricate rather than valvate obtuse corolla-lobes: fls. 

 fascicled or in short, perfect or imperfect racemes : Ivs. 

 generally opposite, entire or serrate, thickish : ever- 

 green trees or shrubs, of 7 or 8 species in eastern Asia, 

 Pacific islands, and one in North America. O. fragrans 

 is the only common species in cult., and this is a green- 

 house plant in the North, being grown for its very fra- 

 grant fls. It is of the easiest culture in an intermediate 

 temperature. It is almost a continuous bloomer, al- 

 though ordinarily it should be rested in late winter or 

 summer in order to ripen the wood for fall and winter 

 bloom. Be careful not to overpot, and keep the plant 

 free from mealy bug. In the South and in California, 

 it thrives when planted out in a place shaded from the 

 middav sun. 



OSMOREIZA 



1177 



A. Lvs . ^small-toothed or entire. 



fragrans, Lour. (Olea fragrans, Thunb.). Fig. 1595. 

 Small tree or shrub, usually cult, as a pot-plant: Ivs. 

 oval to oblong and lanceolate, finely sharp-toothed 

 (said to be entire in the wild plant), thick, lighter col- 

 ored and veiny beneath : fls. small, white, the corolla 

 divided nearly to the base, in clusters in the upper ax- 

 ils, very fragrant: fr. not produced on the cult, plant, 

 but on the wild plant said to be ellipsoid and % x % in. 

 India, China, Japan. B.M. 1552. L. B.C. 18:1786. 



1595. Osmanthus fragrans (X%). 

 Olea fragrans of gardens. 



Americanus, Benth. & Hook. DEVIL-WOOD. FLORIDA 

 OLEA. Glabrous small tree or tall shrub, with whitish 

 bark : Ivs. thick, evergreen, lance-oblong, with a short 

 petiole, entire, shining above: fls. polygamous or dioe- 

 cious, dull white, in panicles which are shorter than the 

 Ivs., fragrant: fr. a small dark purple drupe. Blooms 

 in spring. N. Car., south. S.S. 6:279, 280. This Dlant 

 is in cult, in choice collections south, but it is not now 

 advertised. 



AA. Lvs. usually spiny-toothed and holly-like. 



Aquif olium, Sieb. Small, evergreen tree, with elliptic 

 or oblong-ovate, stiff spiny-toothed, shining Ivs., 3-4 in. 

 long : fls. white, in short axillary clusters appearing 

 in autumn, very fragrant, larger than in O. fragrans. 

 Japan. G.C. II. 6:689. Very variable. Var. ilicifdlius, 

 Hort. (Olea ilicifblia, Hassk.), is a compact dense 

 shrub, with smaller Ivs. There are variegated-leaved 

 forms (as O. Aqiiifolium, vars. aureum and argenteum). 

 Var. myrtifdlius, Hort., has compact habit, with rigid, 

 spineless Ivs. Osmanthus Aquifolium is hardy with 

 some protection as far north as Baltimore and Phila- 

 delphia. Variegated forms are sometimes grafted on 

 privet, but they lack in constitution. 



O. latifolia and O. ligustrifolia of the trade are probably 

 Phillyreas. O. buxifolid, Hort., is probably Olea Capensis. 

 Linn., a shrub from S. Africa. ,. H. B. 



OSMORHlZA (Greek ; referring to the sweet, aro- 

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

 perennial herbs, 1-3 ft. high, with ternately decompound 

 foliage and white fls. in few-rayed umbels. They are 

 sometimes called Sweet Cicely, but the" true Sweet 

 Cicely is Myrrhis odorata, a closely allied European 

 plant, the Ivs. of which have the scent of anise seed and 

 are used in flavoring. Two western species were once 

 advertised in the eastern states, and 2 eastern species 

 are rarely offered. F. W. Barclay, who has charge of a 

 very large collection of native plants, writes that the 

 eastern species require a loose, rich, rather moist loam. 

 He adds that they are usually to be found in shady 

 places, but where soil conditions are suitable they do 

 well in the sun. Wilfred Brotherton remarks that their 

 foliage turns a handsome purple in autumn. 



Generic characters: Calyx-teeth obsolete: fr. linear. 



