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 

 Bakers Handbook of the Iridete (1892). 



There seems to be no recorded American experience 

 with O. multiflorus. 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." 



multiflorus. Sweet {Libe'rtia asiirea, Hort.l. Lvs. a 

 dozen or more, l-l}4 ft. long. }4 to K of an inch wide: 

 panicle 4-6 in. long: capsiile obtuse. Southern anil 

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

 Sisyrinchium cyaneum). ^V. M. 



OR'tZA (derived from the Arabic name, Eruz), 

 Graminete. Six species of the tropics, including O. 

 sfttiva, 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. j^ g_ Hitchcock. 



0RYZ6PSIS (Greek, rice-like: from a fancied re- 

 semblance to that grain). Gramineo:. 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. 



melanocdrpa, Muhl. Distinguished by its leafy culm, 

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

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

 woods, NewEng. to Mo. — Blooms late in summer. 



asperifdlia, Michx. This and the next have tufted, 

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

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

 lvs. rough-edged, evergreen: awn H in. long. Northern 

 states to Colorado. — Blooms early in spring. 



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

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

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

 hills ; rare. x. S. 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 unilrr Salix nnd Cor- 

 nus. Osier culture is generally con^idrri-.l a- l"lnni.'ing 

 to sylviculture rather than to horticnltur. . an.l i~ tlu-re- 

 fore not treated here, but the inter. ,tr,l r.a.l. r ^lu.uld 

 procure "Osier Culture," by John ^1. ^Sinipsun, u p:un- 

 phlet of 27 pages, issued in 1898 as Bulk-tin 19 of the 

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



OSMANTHUS (fragrant flnirer). Oledeea'. The cul- 

 tivatiil m.riil)ci-> of tlii-< i:.-iiu^ are usually known as 

 Ol.-a-. Imt Osiiiaiitlm^ is ,li<tiii-iiished from Oleabyits 

 iitit^ri.'atr i-aTh.-r tliaii \'al\ai.' ..I.tuse corolla-lobes: fis. 

 fa^rirli-,1 i.r ill s|,,,rt. ]HTfirt .ir imperfect racemes; lvs. 

 gfiK-rally i-pj-nsirf. tnriri.' or -surrate, thickish ; ever- 

 green tri( ~ or slii-ulis, of 7 or 8 species in eastern Asia, 

 Pacific islaiMis. aii.l one in North America. O. fragraits 

 is the oiiI\- 'i.niiiion ^] it-s in cult., and this is a green- 

 house plant in tin- North, lieing grown for its very fra- 

 grant tls. 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 

 midday sun. 



OSMORilZA 



1177 



A. Lvs. small-toothed or entire. 

 iikgians, Lour. [Olea h-Agrans, Thunb.). Fig. 1595. 

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

 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 K in. 

 .China. Japan. B.M. 1.552. L.B.C. 18:1786. 



Americ^nus, Benth. & Hook. Devil-wood. Florida 

 Olea. Glabrous small tree or tall shrub, with whitish 

 bark: lvs. thick, evergreen, lance-ol)long, with a short 

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

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

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

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

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

 advertised. 



AA. Ll-S. n.^iiaJlii sp-nnj-tnntlirrl aiirl hnlly-lil-e. 



AquiJdlium. -.-!,, -,„:i!l, ,•■, ..r.-r.-. o ir. .•, «iili .•il!].li.' 

 or Oblong-o\ a ^ ; - i!i 



Japan. G.C. ll.ii:o,-,i. \.ix vaiiaoi,-. \ III. ilicifolius, 

 Hort. (Ole<i ih..i,.l,,i. lla-sk.).i-~ a compact dense 

 shrub, with Miiall. r h^. Tlori- an- variegated-leaved 

 forms (as O. A'/" '!"fiitn> . \ar--. n :n-'inti and artjenteum ). 

 Var. myrtiSolius. ll-.it., lia^ .-oi!i]ia.-t lialiit. with rigid, 

 spineless lvs. i<^i,i,ii,llni.< .I./.i.Im/,,,,,, j, liardy with 

 some protection as far noiil, is lialiini-n. and Phila- 

 delphia. Vari.-i.'alo.l forms an- .-.ii,.-i iiii.-^ ijratted on 

 privet, but they lark in i-oustinitioii. 



O. lalitolia and O. liijustrifnUa of tlic trade are probably 

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

 Linn., a shrub from S. Africa. L, JJ. B. 



OSMORHlZA 



matic, edilih 

 perennial htri 

 foliage anil . 



i-ferring to the sweet, aro- 

 lliferie. A small genus of 

 with ternately decompound 

 A -rayed umbels. Thev are 

 icely, but till- tnif- Swf-pt 



plan- i -liich have the scent -.1 ii - ...i umI 



an- !ii^'. Two western s|.- 'h c 



ailvc III-. -1 III til.' rastern states, and J .a-t.rn .|,.,-i.s 

 are rarely offered. F. W. Barclay, who has i-liargo 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. 



