1180 



OTHONNA 



OUVIRANDRA 



cras'si folia of Harvey was once described as O. filicau- 

 lis, but this name also has been previously used in the 

 genus. It seems, therefore, as if a new name must be 





1598. Othonna Capensls. known to \ Jj\,fc 

 gardeners as O. crassifolia. \ \A 



A yellow-flowered trailing plant 



with succulent leaves. p 



given to the O. crassifolia of Harvey and of the horticul- 

 turists, and this is done below. What, now, is Linnaeus' 

 Othonna crassifolia ? As early as 1771, this plant was 

 figured in color by Philip Miller as the "Otlionna foliis 

 lanceolatis integerrimis " of Linnseus' Hortus Cliff ort- 

 >anus. It was figured again by Edwards in 1818 (B.R. 

 4:266). It is an upright or ascending undershrub, with 

 flat leaves reminding one of leaves of the stock. It is 

 described in the European books, but is probably not 

 in commercial cultivation. It is native to the north of 

 Africa. A reproduction of part of Philip Miller's pic- 

 ture of the plant, reduced in size, is shown in Fig. 1599. 

 Capensis (Ot7i6nna crassifolia, Harv., not Linn., nor 

 Meyer. Othonndpsis cheirifolia, Bailey in "Field, For- 

 est, and Garden Botany," not Jaub. & Spach). Fig. 

 1598. Perennial, becoming shrubby at base in its native 

 country, glabrous, with slender trailing or drooping 

 stems: Ivs. 1 in. or less long, fleshy and cylindrical-ob- 

 ovoid, sharp -pointed, either scattered or in clusters: 

 pedicels 2-6 in. long, ascending, slender: heads nearly 

 or quite % in. across when well grown, the narrow, 

 bright yellow rays wide-spreading. S. Africa. An ex- 

 cellent plant for hanging baskets, for it withstands ex- 

 tremes of moisture and temperature. It is readily prop- 

 agated by planting pieces of the stems. It blooms in 

 nearly all seasons. Fls. open only in sun . L jj. B. 



OURtSIA (Gov. Ouris, of the Falkland islands). 

 Scrophularidcece. O. coccinea is a choice alpine of 

 tufted habit, heart-shaped Ivs., and scarlet, narrowly 

 funnel-shaped fls. 1-1% in. long. The general appear- 

 ance of the inflorescence is distinct. The fls. are borne, 

 in opposite pairs to the number of 12 on a scape a foot 

 or more high. Each flower points at a sharp downward 

 angle from its slender red fl. -stalk, which is as long as 

 the flower. The fls. are 2-lipped, 5-lobed and bulged at 

 the very base. This rare and charming plant is culti- 

 vated in America, but not advertised at present. The 

 secret of its culture is a stiff soil combined with deep 

 shade. (See, also, Alpine Gardens.) 



Botanically, Ourisia is allied to the foxglove, to which 

 it has no casual resemblance. It is a genus of 23 



species, mostly natives of the Chilean and Peruvian 

 Andes. Herbs, rarely somewhat woody at the base, usu- 

 ally dwarf, decumbent or creeping a short distance, 

 glabrous or sparsely hairy: fls. either axillary and soli- 

 tary, or in a raceme at the apex of a scape, usually 

 scarlet- or rose-colored ; corolla-tube cylindrical or 

 slightly bell-shaped at the throat, lobes nearly equal: 

 stamens 4, didynamous : style entire. 



coccinea, Pers. Hardy herbaceous perennial, sparsely 

 hairy: Ivs. mostly radical, long-stalked, heart-shaped, 

 unequally lobed and crenate: scape furnished with 1- or 

 2-stalked Ivs. at the base, and pairs of toothed bracts, 

 from which the pedicels arise : calyx-lobes 5, short, 

 spreading. Chile. B.M. 5335. 



J. B. KELLER and W. M. 



OUVIRANDRA (Madagascar name meaning water 

 yam, referring to the edible tubers). Naiadacece. The 

 Lace-leaf or Lattice-leaf plant, O. fenestralis, is one of 

 the most distinct and interesting plants in the vegeta- 

 ble kingdom. It grows in Madagascar, its skeletonized 

 leaves floating just under the surface of the water. 

 The Ivs. are merely a tracery of nerves and cross-veins, 

 but despite their lace-like delicacy they can be handled 

 with considerable roughness. The plant is cultivated 

 in all the finest collections of tender aquatics. The Ivs. 

 are oblong in shape, and in fine specimens 6-18 in. long 

 and 2-4 in. broad. See Fig. 1600. 



The genus and even the family of this plant is a sub- 

 ject of much debate. If it were not for the skeletonized 

 foliage the plant would be referred by all to Aponoge- 

 ton. However, the venation of the Lace-leaf plant is 

 exactly that of Aponogeton, and now and then a leaf 

 occurs in which the spaces between the veins are partly 

 or wholly filled with green matter. Edgeworth declared 

 that if Ouvirandra were kept distinct then 4 species of 

 Aponogeton must go with it. O. fenestralis is all but 

 unique. There is another species with skeletonized 

 leaves (O. Bernieriana) , but the open spaces are 

 smaller and the plant is less desirable for cult. The 

 prevailing tendency of the day is to refer both these 

 plants to Aponogeton. 



The Lace-leaf plant can be grown in a tub in a warm 

 greenhouse. For some unknown reason the plant seems 

 rarely to succeed in a jar or glass aquarium. In Mada- 



1599. Othonnopsis cheirifolia. 



A flat-leaved plant which has been confused with Othonna 



Capensis. For comparison with Fig. 1598. 



