List of the Plants of Chile. 269 



Ophioglossum. L. The plant which I have seen in the humid 

 plains at the foot of mountains is perhaps the O. Ungulatum, Miers. 

 It is of no use. 



Orhignya trifolia. Bertero. A shrub of the family of the Euphor- 

 biaceae (tricocccs), notable for its compound leaves, a rare example 

 in this group. It is met with on the heights near the Punta de Cor- 

 tes. Professor Gay has also seen it on the summit of Mount San 

 Cristoval. It is not lactescent, nor does it resemble, in any particu- 

 lar, the ColUguaya, which inhabits the same places. The fruit is of 

 the same figure, with the exception of the capsule's being ligneous. Its 

 seeds are used for rosary beads. It appears that Molina in charac- 

 terising his genus, ColUguaya, has described the staminate flower of 

 this, since he attributes to it eight stamina. I have dedicated this 

 beautiful genus to M. D' Orbigny, a learned and zealous naturalist, 

 who is at present exploring the banks of the Rio de la Plata, and 

 who will soon visit Patagonia with the view of enriching those scien- 

 ces which he professes. 



Origanum Maru. L. Oregano — Wild Marjoram. Cultivated in 

 gardens ; an aromatic plant used as a condiment. It might serve to 

 garnish parterres, being advantageously substituted for the brick which 

 is here employed for that purpose. Many other plants might be in- 

 troduced for the purpose, as the Armeria vulgaris. W., Bellis pe- 

 rennis, fl. pleno, Primula veris. W. P. elatior, Jacq. 



Ornithogalum. L. There are many species in almost every gar- 

 den. The Flor de la cuenta of gardens appears to be the O. Arab- 

 icum, L. The Lagrima de la Virjen, also cultivated, does not agree 

 entirely with the O. corymbosum, Ruiz and Pavon, according to the 

 phrase of Sprengel, in his Species Plantarvm, (vol. 4, part. 2, p. 

 132.) The cebolleta, O. cequipetalum, Bertero, in the dry pastures 

 of the high land, and the O. striatellum, Miers, {guilli de perro o' 

 de zorro,) common in meadows and cultivated places. This last 

 appears to differ from the genus, and in fact, I have just seen in the 

 Transactions of the Horticultural Society of London, vol. vi, part. 1, 

 that Lindley has called it Allium striatellum. 



Orthopogon Crus-Galli. Spr. A grass frequent in drains and hu- 

 mid places. Some call it carrizo, a name by which a species of 

 cane is designated, which frequently grows in wet situations, near 

 Santiago and other places. This last is of the size of the Arundo 

 Phragmites, L. although in my opinion it is different. It is used for 

 various domestic purposes, and large quantities of it are consumed. 



