P.£O v NIA. 



201 



OXALIS. 



sold in the market at Bath, and 

 other places in the West of England, 

 for the table, under the name of 

 Prussian asparagus ; O. latifolium, a 

 native of Egypt ; and O. caudatum 

 from the Cape of Good Hope. The 

 latter two are generally considered 

 greenhouse plants, but they only re- 

 quire protection from severe frosts. 



Orobanche. — Orobanchece. — 

 Broom rape. Parasitic British plants ■ 

 growing on the roots of other plants, 

 which they destroy. They have 

 erect stems, somewhat scaly and 

 bulbous at the base, and terminating 

 in a spike of rather large purplish or 

 brownish flowers. They are almost 

 incapable of culture, as their seeds 

 will lie dormant in the soil for years, 

 till they meet with a plant to the 

 roots of which they can attach them- 

 selves; but if it should be wished to 

 grow them, a few seeds of O. major 

 may be sown on the roots of any 

 kind of broom or furze, and of O. 

 caryophallacea on the roots of any 

 kind of bramble or of Gallium 

 mollugo; and they will probably 

 germinate. O. rubra, which is very 

 fragrant, may in the same manner be 

 sown on the roots of wild thyme ; 

 and O. elatior on those of Centau- 

 rea scabiosa, the greater Knapweed. 



Orobus. — Leguminosce. — The 

 bitter vetch. Pea-flowered, perennial 

 plants, some of which are very orna- 

 mental, natives of Europe and North 

 America, which should be grown in 

 peat and loam, and are increased by 

 dividing the root. 



Oryza. — Graminea. — Rice. This 

 plant is occasionally grown as an ob- 

 ject of curiosity in England, though 

 the climate is not hot enough to ripen I 



the grain. It is a marsh plant, and 

 requires to have its roots constantly 

 supplied with water. 



Osage Orange. — See Maclura. 



Osbeckia. — Melastomaceoe. — 

 Handsome stove plants, remarkable 

 for their showy flowers, and strongly 

 ribbed leaves. They should be grown 

 in peat, mixed with one-third of sandy 

 loam, and kept moist. They are 

 propagated by cuttings. 



Osmunda. — Filices. — The flower- 

 ing Fern . This is by far the handsomest 

 of the fern family. A native of Bri- 

 tain, which produces a fine effect in a 

 shrubbery, or among trees ; and which 

 should be grown in peat, or other 

 light soil, and kept moist. 



Oswego tea. — See Mona'rda. 



Osyris. — Osyridea. — 7'he Poets' 

 Cassia. A pretty little shrub, with 

 white flowers, a native of the South 

 of Europe; which should be grown 

 in loam and peat, and which is propa- 

 gated by cuttings. 



Othonna. — Composites. — Rag- 

 wort. Coarse growing greenhouse or 

 frame annuals, perennials, and low 

 shrubs, all with yellow flowers, and 

 all natives of the Cape of Good Hope; 

 which are generally grown in loam 

 and peat, and which only require the 

 usual culture of their respective kinds. 



Oxalis. — Oxalidece. — Wood Sor- 

 rel. Mostly perennial and tuberous- 

 rooted plants, from the Cape of Good 

 Hope; but some few of which are 

 natives of Britain, and others of 

 Mexico and other parts of America. 

 They have showy flowers, and are 

 easily cultivated in sandy peat kept 

 moist. AW the Cape species require 

 protection during winter, and arc 

 generally grown in pots. 



PjEo^ia . — RanunculacecB. — The 

 herbaceous species are well-known 

 showy flowers, which thrive in deep 



P. 



: sandy soil, and are propagated by 

 division ; and the auffrutescent or 

 shrubby kinds, of which there are 



