296 



HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



OXY 



Boswell, of Philadelphia, gives the following 

 testimony, viz.: "As the plant naturally 

 grows in a very wet soil, it is generally sup- 

 posed that it will not thrive in a dry soil, but 

 this idea is erroneous. Mr. S. Bates, of Mas- 

 sachusetts, has grown the Cranberry on a 

 dry soil for several years, with the utmost 

 success. His method is to plow the land, 

 spread on a quantity of swamp muck, and 

 after harrowing the soil thoroughly, set out 

 the plants in drills twenty inches apart, hoe- 

 ing them the first season, after this no culti- 

 vation is needed. By the above method the 

 plants will cover the ground in three years." 

 It is hoped that the above details will prove 

 ol service to those about to embark in the 

 culture of this useful fruit. The Cranberry is 

 also adapted to garden culture. Every family 

 can have a garden patch. A moist but not 

 clayey soil should be selected, and the ground 

 prepared by plowing or spading, as for Straw- 

 berries. The entire surface should be covered 

 one or two inches with fine muck, or one or 

 two inches of sand can be substituted. They 

 can be planted one foot to eighteen inches 

 apart, and four to six inches in depth. They 

 are also highly ornamental in pots, the fruit 

 hanging on the vines until the flowers appear 

 for the next crop. Experiments in New Eng- 

 land indicate that the Cranberry can be culti- 

 vated on upland, though generally with mod- 

 erate success. On Long Island, however, 

 there are Cranberry patches of five or six 

 acres, on upland soil, that produce from 50 

 to 100 bushels per acre, which is considered a 

 satisfactory result, as manure is unnecessary, 

 and the trouble of cultivating, gathering, and 

 marketing the Cranberry is less than that 

 required by the Strawberry or any of the small 

 fruits. 



Oxyde'ndron. Sorrel-tree. From oxys, sour, 

 and dendron, a tree ; in allusion to the foliage 

 being sour to the taste. Nat. Ord. Ericacece. 

 O. arboreum, the only species, is found in 

 rich woods in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and south- 

 ward, has deciduous leaves the size and 

 shape of those of a Peach. It bears its flowers 

 in long one-sided racemes, clustered in an 

 open panicle, terminating the branches of the 

 season, and forms a tree from fifteen to forty 

 feet high. 



Oxylo'bium. From oxys, sharp, and lobos, a 

 pod ; the seed-pods ending in a point. Nat. 

 Ord. Leguminosce. 



Handsome spring-flowering green-house 

 plants from New Holland. They should be 

 occasionally stopped while young, to ensure 

 dwarf, bushy specimens. The flowers are 

 orange and yellow, are freely produced, and 

 very pretty. They are increased by cuttings 

 or from seed. Introduced in 1805. 



Oxype'talum. From oxys, sharp, and petalum, 

 a petal ; sharp pointed. 



A genus of Asclepiadacece, comprising about 

 fifty species of perennial herbs or sub-shrubs, 

 mostly natives of South America, with blue, 

 white, or purplish flowers. O. cceruleum, is 

 a charming climber, remarkable for the 

 changes in color exhibited by the flower at 

 various stages of its existence. When first 

 open it is pale blue, with a slight tinge of 

 green ; then purplish, and when withered, 

 lilac. All are propagated by cuttings. Intro- 

 duced in 1852. 



OZO 



Oxyra'mphis. From oxys, sharp pointed, and 

 ramphos, a beak ; referring to the beaked keel- 

 petal. Nat. Ord. Leguminosce. 



0. macrostyla, the only described species is 

 a very pretty green-house plant, with showy 

 purplish-crimson flowers. It was intro- 

 duced in 1837, and is easily grown and propa- 

 gated. 



Oxy'ria. Mountain Sorrel. From oxys, acid; 

 the leaves are sour to the taste. Nat. Ord. 

 Polygonacece. 



Low alpine perennials with round-kidney- 

 form and long petioled leaves, chiefly from 

 the root, obliquely truncate sheaths, and 

 small greenish flowers clustered in panicled 

 racemes on a slender scape. O. reniformis, a 

 native of Britain and O. diciyna, found in the 

 alpine regions of the White Mountains, are 

 sometimes cultivated and are interesting 

 plants for the rock garden. 



Oxy'spora. From oxys, sharp, and spora, a 

 seed ; in allusion to the seeds being awned at 

 both ends. Nat. Ord. Melastomacece. 



A small genus of very handsome, slender, 

 erect, or almost scandent plants, natives of 

 eastern Bengal, and the Malayan Archi- 

 pelago. O. paniculata, the only cultivated 

 species, has drooping panicles, often a foot 

 long, of bright rose-colored flowers. It is of 

 easy cultivation, and may be increased by 

 cuttings. Introduced in 1826. 



Oxy'tropis. From oxys, sharp, and tropis, a 

 keel ; the keel petal ends in a sharp point. 

 Nat. Ord. Leguminosce. 



An extensive genus of hardy herbaceous 

 perennials, mostly natives of Siberia, a few 

 are found in Europe. They are nearly allied 

 to Astragalus. O. cyanea, from the Ural 

 Mountains, is dense-growing plant with sil- 

 very, pinnate leaves, of dw;irf habit, produc- 

 ing spikes about six inches high of bluish- 

 purple flowers in June. It is a slow growing 

 plant, well adapted for the border, and can be 

 readily increased from seeds. Introduced in 

 1818. 0. montana, an Austrian species, is of 

 similar habit, with pendant spikes of dark 

 purple flowers, which are succeeded by large 

 inflated po.is. 



Oxy'ura. Supposed to be from oxys, sharp, and 

 oura, a trail ; but the application is not very 

 apparent. Nat. Ord. Composites. 



O. chrysanthemoides, the only species, is a 

 hardy annual with yellow flowers, somewhat 

 resembling the Chrysanthemum ; it is a showy 

 plant, and easy to grow. It is a native of 

 California, and was introduced in 1834. This 

 genus is now included under Layia, by some 

 botanists. 



Oyster Plant. A common name for Salsify, 

 which see. 



Oyster Plant. British. Mertensia maritima. 



Ozotha'mnus. From ozein, to smell, and 

 thamnos, a shrub ; alluding to the odor of the 

 plant. Nat. Ord. Composites. 



A genus of nearly hardy shrubs, mostly 

 natives of Australia. O. rosmarinifolius, has 

 white flower heads, in dense corymbs, forming 

 a large leafy panicle. It forms a handsome 

 shrub and will prove hardy, south of Washing- 

 ton. It is readily propagated by cuttings of 

 the half ripe wood. 



