282 



HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



OLE 



stems, and entire lanceolate-elliptical fronds. 

 O. neriiformis and O. nodosa are both easily 

 cultivated, free-growing species. 



Olea'ria. A genus of Composite, very nearly 

 allied to the Aster, and only distinguished 

 from the Eurybia, which generally represents 

 Aster in Australia, by the pappus being more 

 distinctly double, and the outer ring of setee 

 being shorter and often more chaff-like. It 

 consists of about a dozen shrubs, natives of 

 New Zealand, with small entire or toothed 

 leaves cottony beneath. Some of them O. 

 Haastii, for instance, make beautiful bushes 

 in the open border. Propagated by cuttings 

 of the half-ripened wood. 



Olea'ster. See Elceagnus. 



Oleraceous. Esculent, eatable. 



Olfe'rsia. Named after Olfers, a German botan- 

 ist. Nat. Ord. Polypodiacece. 



A genus of hot-house Ferns common in the 

 West Indies, South America, and occasion- 

 ally in the East Indies. There are many 

 species, but few of them are under cultivation. 

 This genus is included under Acrostichum by 

 some botanists. 



Olibanum, or Frankincense Tree. Boswellia 



thurifera. 



Olivaceous. Greenish-brown. 

 Olive. See Oka. 



Olive. Barbadoes. Bontia Daphnoides. 

 Olive-Bark Tree. Terminalia Catappa. 

 Olive. Californian. Oreodaphne Californica. 

 Olive. Wild. Elceagnus angustifolius, also Rhus 



Cotinus and Daphne Thymelcea. 



Olive Wood. See Elceodendron ; also the yel- 

 lowish fancy wood of the Olive tree 1 . 



Ompha'lea. From omphalos, the navel, alluding 

 to the umbilicated anthers. Nat. Ord. Euphor- 

 biacece. 



A genus of tropical trees or tall shrubs 

 remarkable for the curious structure of the 

 male flowers. O. triandra the only species in 

 cultivation, introduced from Jamaica in 1793, 

 grows about twelve feet high and is more 

 interesting than ornamental. A juice is 

 extracted from it that turns black in drying 

 and is used in making ink, or as glue ; the nuts 

 after the poisonous embryo is extracted are 

 edible. 



Omphalo'bium. From omphalos, the navel, 

 and lobos, a pod. Nat. Ord. Conaracece. 



A small genus of tropical trees that furnish 

 the beautiful Zebra Wood of the cabinet- 

 makers. The species are mostly confined to 

 Africa and India. 



Omphalo'des. Venus's Navelwort. Fromompfta- 

 los, the navel, and eidos, like ; the fruit resem- 

 bles the navel. Nat. Ord. Boraginacece, 

 An interesting genus of hardy annuals, and 



3rennials. They are natives of southern 

 urope, Asia Minor, and the Caucasus. O. 

 linifolia, is a common border annual, known 

 as Venus' Navelwort. The flowers are white, 

 tinged with blue. O. verna, the Petite Con- 

 soude of the French, is a charming, low-grow- 

 ing perennial, with creeping shoots, heart- 

 shaped leaves, and brilliant blue flowers, like 

 the Forget-me-not ; sometimes from its habit, 

 called Creeping Forget-me-not. It is propa- 

 gated by division. 



ONC 



Onagra'cese. A natural order of annual or 

 perennial herbs, or shrubs, with simple leaves, 

 and the parts of the flower usually tetramer- 

 ous. They inhabit chiefly the temperate reg- 

 ions of Europe, Asia, and America, and are 

 found sparingly in Africa. The species contain 

 mucous, and occasionally somewhat astrin- 

 gent principles. Some yield edible fruits, as 

 Fuchsia, others furnish edible roots, as 

 (Enothera biennis, and both Trapa natans, and 

 T. bicornis, remarkable for their horned fruit, 

 supply edible seeds. There are about twenty- 

 two known genera, and upwards of three hun- 

 dred species. Fuchsia, Gaura, (Enothera, and 

 Trapa, are illustrative genera. 



Onci'dium. From onkos, a tumor ; the plants 

 belonging to this genus have warts, tumors, 

 or other excrescences at the base of the 

 labellum. Nat. Ord. Orchidacece. 



This is perhaps the most extensive and 

 varied genus in the order to which it belongs. 

 Some of its species have extremely large 

 pseudo-bulbs, others have the pseudo-bulbs 

 very small ; another portion are entirely desti- 

 tute of these, and have instead thick, leathery 

 leaves, which again vary in size from two feet 

 long and nearly half as much in breadth, to 

 scarcely six inches in their greatest measure- 

 ment ; a third group are distinguished by their 

 rounded, rush-like leaves, about the thickness 

 of a little finger, and from two to four feet in 

 length. Besides this, quite as much disparity 

 exists in the size and color of the flowers, and 

 in the length of the flower-spike, which, in 

 some species, will attain an extent of twenty 

 feet, while in others it is not more than three 

 or four inches ; yet every individual is beauti- 

 ful and worthy a place wherever Orchids 

 are grown. O. Papilio, the Butterfly Orchid, 

 is certainly as much like a butterfly as it is 

 possible to imagine a flower to be, and as it is 

 borne on a long slender stem, which quivers 

 with every breeze, it forms no bad representa- 

 tion of a beautiful insect fluttering over the 

 neighboring flowers. 0. altissimum has a 

 spike of flowers which is sometimes ten or 

 twelve feet in length. O. altissimum, O. 

 ampliatum majus, O. cucullatum, O. Gardneri- 

 anum, O. Papilio, O. Kramerianum, O. splen- 

 didum, O. macranthum, O. Marshallianum, O. 

 Jonesianum, O. varicosum, O. crispum, etc., are 

 among the most beautiful of this large and 

 interesting genus. They are all natives of 

 South America, Mexico and the West Indies, 

 and as they will thrive in a lower temperature 

 than the Aerides and other East Indian 

 Orchids, they are very suitable for a small hot- 

 house. It is better to cultivate all the larger 

 growing kinds in pots or pahs, and to place 

 them in rather large ones, that they may not 

 require frequent shifting, which, each time it 

 is performed, inflicts a serious check upon the 

 plants, in consequence of the unavoidable 

 breaking of the roots. The soil for them 

 should be turfy peat and sphagnum, 

 thoroughly mixed, but not broken finely ; 

 this, with abundant drainage, a brisk, moist 

 temperature in the growing season, shade 

 from strong light, a careful preservation from 

 insects and dirt, and a moderate rest in 

 winter, will not fail to form healthy flowering 

 specimens in a short time. The smaller 

 species may be placed on cork, or in bas- 

 kets. 



