' O T H 
kt the end of the branches, ftanding fingly upon foot- 
ftalks, which are about an inch long •, the half florets 
which compofe the border or rays, are acute-pointed 
and ipread open •, the clifk is compofed of florets 
which are barren. This fort is propagated by cut- 
tings, in the fame manner as the other forts, and 
tnuft be treated in the fame way. 
OSYR IS. Lin. Gen. Plant. 978. Cafia. Tourn. Inft. 
R. H. 664. tab. 488. Poets Cafia. 
The Characters are, 
It is male and female in different plants ; the empalement 
of the flower is of one leaf which is divided into three 
acute fegments. The flower hath no petals , hut thofe on 
the male plants have three Jhort flamina ■, the female have 
a germen , which afterward changes to a globular berry , 
having a Jingle feed. 
We know but one Species of this plant, viz. 
Osyris {Alba) frutefeens baccifera. C. B. P. Shrubby 
berry-bearing Poets Cafla ■, and by fame , red-berried 
Jhrubby Cafia. 
This is a very low fhrub, feldom rifing above two 
feet high, having ligneous branches, which are gar- 
niffied with long narrow leaves, of a bright colour. 
The flowers appear in June, which are of a yellowiffi 
colour, and are fucceeded by berries, which at firft 
are green, and afterward turn to a bright red colour, 
fomewhat like thofe of Afparagus. 
This plant grows wild in the fouth of France, in 
Spain, and lome parts of Italy, by the fide of roads, 
as alfo between the rocks, but is with great difficulty 
tranfplanted into gardens ; nor does it thrive after 
being removed, ft that the only method to obtain 
this plant is, to fow the berries where they are to re- 
main. Thefe berries commonly remain a year in the 
ground before the plants appear, and fometimes they 
will lie two or three years, fo that the ground ffiould 
not be difturbed under three years, if the plants do 
not come up fooner. Thefe feeds mull be procured 
from the places where the plants naturally grow, for 
thofe which have been brought into gardens never 
produce any, and it is with great difficulty they are 
preferved alive. 
OTHONNA. Lin. Gen. Plant. 888. Doria. Raii 
Meth Plant. 33. Jacobsa. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 485. 
tab. 2 76. Ragwort. 
The Characters are. 
It hath a radiated flower , compofed of hermaphrodite flo- 
rets which form the dijk , and female half florets which 
form the rays or border ; thefe are included in one com- 
mon Jingle empalement of one leaf cut into eight or ten 
fegments. The hermaphrodite flowers are tubulous , in- 
dented at the top in Jive parts \ the female half florets are 
fir etched out like a tongue , and the point has three in- 
dentures which are reflexed. The hermaphrodite florets 
have Jhort hairy flamina , terminated by cylindrical fum- 
mits , and an oblong germen fupporting a flender Jlyle , 
crowned by a Jingle ftigma. The female half florets have 
oblong germen with a flender Jlyle , crowned by a large bi- 
fid reflexed fligma. The hermaphrodite florets are feldom 
fruitful , but the female half florets have an oblong feed , 
which is fometimes naked , and at others crowned with 
down ; thefe fit in the permanent empalement . 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fourth feftion 
of Linnteus’s nineteenth clafs, which includes the 
plants with compound flowers, whole female flowers 
are fruitful and the hermaphrodite barren. 
The Species are, 
1. Qthonna {Coronopifolia) foliis infimis lanceolatis in- 
tegerrimis, fuperioribus finuato-dentatis. Hort. Cliff. 
419. Othonna with fpear-Jhaped lower leaves which are 
entire , and the upper ones indented in Jinufes. Jacobsea 
Africana frutefeens coronopi folio. Hort. Amft. 2. p. 
139. Shrubby African Ragwort , with a Hartjhorn leaf ' 
2. Othonna ( Calthoides ) foliis cuneiformibus integer- 
rirriis feffilibus, caule fruticofo procumbente, pedun- 
culis longiffimis. Othonna with entire wedge-Jhaped 
leases fitting clofe , a Jhrubby trailing ftalk , and very long 
foot ftalks to the flowers. Calthoides Africana, glafti 
folio. Juff. African Baftard Marygold , with a Woad leaf. 
3. Othonna ( Pedlinata ) foliis pinnatifidis, laciniis line- 
O T H 
aribus parallels. Hort. Cliff. 419. Othonna with wing- 
pointed leaves, whofe fegments are narrow and parallel. 
Jacobsea Africana frutefeens, foliis abfinthii umbelli- 
feri incanis. Hort. Amft. 2. p. r 37. tab. 69. Shrubby 
• African Ragwort , with hoary leaves like thofe of the 
umbelliferous Wormwood. 
4. Othonna ( Abrotanifolia ) foliis multifido-pinnatis li- 
nearibus. Flor. Leyd. Prod. 380. Othonna with very 
narrow leaves, ending in many winged points, jacobsea 
Africana frutefeens, foliis abrotani, ft. crithmi major 
& minor. Volk. Norim. 225. Shrubby African Rag- 
wort , with a Southernwood or Samphire leaf. 
5. Othonna {Bulbofa) foliis ovato-cuneiformibus den- 
■ tatis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 926. Othonna with oval , wedge- 
Jhaped, indented leaves. Solidago foliis oblongis den- 
tatis glabris, fioribus magnis umbellatis. Burm Afr. 
164. tab. 59. Woundwort with oblong, indented , fmooth 
leaves, and large flowers growing in umbels. 
The firft fort grows naturally in ./Ethiopia. This 
rifes with a fhrubby ftalk four or five feet high, di- 
viding into feveral branches, garnifhed with grayiffi 
leaves placed without order, thofe on their lower part 
being narrow and entire, but the others are indented 
on the edges after the manner of Hartfhorn. The 
flowers are produced in loofe umbels at the end of 
the branches •, they are yellow, and are fucceeded by 
downy feeds. 
The fecond fort was diftovered by the late Dr. Shaw, 
growing naturally near Tunis in Africa, from whence 
he brought the feeds. This fends out many ligne- 
ous ftalks from the root, which fpreads out on every 
fide, declining toward ^the ground, garnifhed with 
grayiffi leaves, which are narrow at their bafe, en- 
larging upward, and are broad at their points, where 
they are rounded ; thefe fit clofe to the ftalks. The 
flowers are produced upon long, thick, lucculentfoot- 
ftalks at the end of the branches they are yellow ; 
the rays are ffiarp-pointed, and not much longer than 
the empalement ; the difk is large, and the florets are 
as long as the empalement ; the feeds are crowned 
with a long down. 
The third fort grows naturally at the Cape of Good 
Hope, from whence the feeds were brought to Hol- 
land, and the plants were raifed in the Amfterdam 
Garden in 1699. This rifts with a fhrubby ftalk 
about the thicknefs of a man’s thumb, two or three 
feet high, which divide into many branches, covered 
with ahoary down, and garnifhed with hoary leaves about 
three inches long and one broad, cut into many nar- 
row fegments almoft to the midrib •, thefe fegments 
are equal and parallel, and are indented at their ends 
into two or three points. The flowers are produced 
on long foot-ftalks which arife from the wings of 
the ftalks •, toward the end of the branches they 
have large yellow rays, or borders, with a difk of 
florets, and are fucceeded by oblong purple feeds 
crowned with down. 
The fourth fort grows naturally on the hills near the 
Cape of Good Hope, and was raifed from feed in the 
Amfterdam Garden. This hath a low, fhrubby, 
branching ftalk ; the leaves are thick like thofe of’ 
Samphire, and are cut into many narrow fegments. 
The flowers are produced on ffiort foot-ftalks at the 
end of the branches ; they are yellow, and ffiaped 
like the other fpecies of this genus, and are fucceeded 
by brown feeds crowned with foft down. 
The fifth fort grows naturally at the Cape of Good 
Plope. This hath a thick fhrubby ftalk, dividing into 
feveral branches which rife five or fix feet high , the 
leaves come out in clutters from one point, fpread on 
every fide ; they are fmooth, narrow at their bafe, en- 
larging gradually to their points, which are rounded ^ 
their edges are acutely indented like thofe of theHolly. 
From the center of the leaves arife the foot-ftalks of 
the flowers, which are five or fix inches long, branch- 
ing out into feveral fmaller, each fullaining one yel- 
low radiated flower, ffiaped like the former ; thefe 
are fucceeded by flender feeds crowned with down. 
The firft, fecond, third, fourth and fifth forts, are 
preferved in green-houfes through the winter, but re- 
quire 
