OPH 
The fifth fort hath feveral oblong, oval, woolly leaves, 
which fpread on the ground •, between thefe comes 
out the head of flowers fitting clofe to the ground •, 
thefe heads are fmaller than any of the other, and 
the flowers are white. Some of thefe plants have 
been formerly cultivated for the table, but it was be- 
fore the Englifh gardens were well fupplied with other 
efculent plants, for at prefent they are rarely eaten 
here. They require no culture, for if the feeds are 
permitted to fall, the plants will come up faft 
enough. 
ON O S M A. Lin. Gen. 1 87. 
The Characters are, 
The flower hath a ■permanent empalement of one leaf , which 
is creB, • and cut into five fegments - y the corolla is bell- 
Jhaped , of one petal , having a Jhort tube , with a f well- 
ing top y the brim cut into five parts , and naked pervious 
chaps , it hath five Jhort awl-jhaped ftamina , terminated 
by arrow-fioaped fummits , which are the length of the 
corolla , and a germen of four parts , fupporting a fender 
ftyle , crowned by an obtufie fiigma \ the germen afterward 
becomes four feeds fitting in the empalement. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firft fe&ion of 
Linnaeus’s fifth clafs, intitled Pentandria Monogynia, 
the flowers having five ftamina and one ftyle. 
The Species are, 
1. Onosma ( Sirnplicijfma ) foliis conferdflimis lanceola- 
to-lineanbus pilofis. Lin. Sp. 196. Onofma with hairy, 
linear , fpear-Jhaped leaves growing in clufers. Echium 
Creticum. Alp. Exot. 130. Cretan Viper’s Buglofs. 
2. Onosma (Orient alis) foliis lanceolatis hifpidis, frudi- 
bus pendulis. Lin. Sp. 196. Onofma withhifpid fpear- 
Jhaped leaves , and hanging fruit. Cerinthe Orientalis. 
Amoen. Acad. 4. p. 267. Eaflern Honeywort. 
3. Onosma ( Echioides ) foliis lanceolatis hifpidis, frudi- 
bus eredis. Lin. Sp. 196. Onofma with hifpid fpear- 
Jhaped leaves and ereB fruit. Anchufa lutea minor. 
C. B. P. 255. Smaller yellow Buglofs. 
The firft and fecond forts are generally biennial plants, 
which perifh foon after they have perfeded feeds ; 
though fometi tries when they happen to grow out of 
the joints of walls, or the Allures of rocks, they will 
abide three or four years •, for in fuch fituations the 
plants are ftinted in their growth, fo are lels replete 
with moifture, and more compad, whereby they are 
in lefs danger of fufFering from froft in winter. There- 
fore, if all the three forts can be cultivated on a wall 
or in rubbifh, where their feeds may fcatter, they 
may be maintained much better than in good ground. 
In order to have the plants grow in fuch fituations, 
it will be proper to low their feeds foon after they 
are ripe, either on the joints of old walls, or in rub- 
bifh, laying the italics of the plants over the places 
where their feeds are fown, which will fhade them 
from the fun, and thereby greatly forward the vege- 
tation of the feeds •, and when the plants are well efta- 
blifhed in their fituation, if they are permitted to 
fcatter their feeds, they will maintain themfelves very 
well afterwards. 
As thefe plants are feldom cultivated unlefs in botanic 
gardens, fo it will be unneceffary to enlarge farther 
about them •, they flower early in the fpring, and 
their feeds ripen in June. 
OPHIOGLOSSUM, Adder’s-tongue. 
This plant grows naturally in moift meadows, and is 
not eafily brought to thrive long in gardens, fo is 
rarely attempted. 
OPHRYS. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 437. tab. 250. Lin. 
Gen. Plant. 902. Twyblade. 
The Characters are. 
It has a fingle ftalk with a vague fpatha (or Jheath.) 
The flower hath no empalement •, it confifis of five oblong 
petals which afeend , and join fo as to form a helmet , 
and the under one is bifida The ne Barium is dependent , 
and keel- fh aped behind \ it hath two Jhort flamina fitting 
on the pointed, with ereB fummits faft ened to the interior 
border of the ne Barium , and an oblong contorted germen 
fituated under the flower , with a ftyle adhering to the 
inner border of the neBarium , crowned by an obfolete ftig- 
vna. The germen afterward turns to an oval , three- cor- 
OPH 
neredj ohtufe capfule , with one cell opening with three 
valves , and filled with fmall feeds like dufi. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firft fe&ibn 
of Linnaeus’s twentieth clafs, which contains the 
plants whofe flowers have two ftamina, which are 
joined to the ftyle ; he has joined to this genus feve- 
ral fpecies of Orchis. 
The Species are, 
1. Ophryjs (Nidas avis) bulbis fibrofo-fafciculatis Caule 
vaginato, nedarii labio bifido. Lin. Sp. Plant. 1339. 
Twyblade with a fibrous root bundled , and a bifid lip 
to the neBarium. Ophrys bifolia. C. B. P. 87. Com- 
mon Twyblade , or Tw ay blade. 
2. Ophrys ( Cordato ) bulbo fibrofo, caule bifolio, fo- 
liis cordatis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 946. Twyblade with a 
fibrous root , and two heart-fhaped leaves on the fialk. 
Ophrys minima. C. B. P. 87. Smalleft T wyblade. 
3. Ophrrys (Spiralis) bulbis aggregatis oblongis, caule 
fubfoliofo, fioribus fecundis, nedarii labio indivifo. 
Ad. Upfal. 1740. Twyblade with oblong clufered bulbs, 
a leafy fialk , fruitful flowers , and an undivided- lip to the 
neBarium. Orchis fpiralis alba oborata. J. B. 2. 769. 
White , fiweet-fcent&d , fpiral Orchis , called Triple Ladies 
Traces. 
4. Ophrys (Monorchis) bulbo globofo, caule nude, nec- 
tarii labio trifido. Ad. Upfal. 1740. Twyblade with a 
globular bulb , a naked fialk , and a trifid lip to the nec- 
tarium. Orchis odorata mofchata, five monorchis. 
C. B. P. 84. Yellow , fiweet , or Mufk Orchis. 
5. Ophrys (Ant hr op oph or a) bulbis fubrotundis, fcapo 
foliofo, nedarii labio lineari tripartite, medio elon- 
gato bifido. Lin. Sp. Plant. 948. Twyblade with 
roundifh bulbs , a leafy fialk , and a narrow three-pointed 
lip to the neBarium , the middle fegment of which is ftr etch- 
ed out and bifid. Orchis flore nudi hominis effigiem 
repraefentans foemina. C. B. P. 82. Alan Orchis. 
6 . Ophrys ( InfeBifera ) bulbis fubrotundis, fcapo foli- 
ofo, nedarii labio fubquinquelobo. Lin. Sp. Plant. 
948. Twyblade with roundifh bulbs , a leafy fialk y and 
the lip of the neBarium divided almoft into five lobes , 
Orchis mulcam referens major. C. B. P. 83. Greater 
Fly Orchis. 
7. Ophrys (. Adrachnites ) bulbis fubrotundis, caule fo- 
liofo, nedarii labio trifido. Twyblade with roundifh 
bulbs , a leafy fialk , and a trifid lip to the neBarium. 
Orchis fucum referens major, foliolis fuperioribus 
candidis, aut purpuralcentibus. C. B. P. 83. The com- 
mon Humble Bee Orchis. 
8. Ophrys (Sphegodes) bulbis fubrotundis, caule fub- 
foliofo, nedarii labio trifido hirfuto. Twyblade with 
roundifh bulbs , a leafy fialk , and a hairy trifid lip to the 
neBarium. Orchis five tefticulusfphegodes hirfuto flore. 
J. B. 2. 727. Humble Bee Satyr ion with green wings. 
The firft fort grows naturally in woods, and fometimes 
in moift paftures in feveral parts of England. The 
root is compofed of many ftrong fibres, from which 
arile two oval veined leaves three inches long, and two 
broad, joined at their bafe ; between thefe arifes a 
naked ftalk about eight inches high, terminated by a 
loofe fpike of herbaceous flowers, refembling gnats, 
compofed of five petals, with a long bifid lip to the 
nedarium, with a creft or ftandard above, and two 
wings on the fide. The flowers fit upon an angular 
germen, which afterward fwells to a capfule, opening 
when ripe in fix parts, and filled with fmall dufty 
feeds. This plant refufes culture, but may be trans- 
planted from the places where it grows naturally, into 
a fhady part of the garden, where, if the roots are not 
difturbed, they will continue feveral years, and flower 
in May, but they do not increafe in gardens. The beft 
time to remove the roots is in July or Auguft, when 
the leaves are decaying, for it will be difficult to find 
the roots after the leaves are gone. 
The fecond fort is found in fome of the northern 
counties in England, but is feldom feen growing in 
the fouth. This hath a fmall bulb with many ftrong 
fibres to the root, and fends out two fmall, ribbed, 
heart-fhaped leaves at bottom. The ftalk riles about 
four inches high, and is terminated by a fpike of fmall 
herbaceous flowers ffiaped like thefe of the firft fort. 
The 
