O P H 
514 
the mouth, each of thefe fupplementary pieces is puflied 
back againff one of the gill-covers, and nothing appears 
but the ferrated margin. The tongue is pointed, and 
movable. The gill-covers confift of feveral pieces, tranf- 
parent at their hinder part, but covered with filvery 
l'cales in front; the membrane is fupported by five rays, 
with delicate filvery fcales on the outer furface, as is the 
cafe with many of the offeous fillies which haunt Guiana 
and the other equatorial countries of America. The 
throat or breaft is fiiarply carinated underneath ; and on 
the bread-bone are eight curved fpines ; fourteen ribs, 
very little bent, are vifible on each fide, and thefe are pro¬ 
duced each into a fpine, which comes through thelkin and 
meets the fpine on the oppofite fide, thus forming a keel 
on the lower belly, confiding of two longitudinal rows of 
fpines of fourteen each, or twenty-eight in all. The anal 
fin is very long, reaching to the origin of the caudal, 
which is forked. The dorfal fin is very final!, and is 
placed far down, not properly on the back, but upon the 
tail. This fpeciesis fuppofed to be of a bright filvery co¬ 
lour. It is a lalt-water filh, is good food, and grows a 
foot long. This very curious filh is reprefented on the 
Plate at fig. 5. 
OPHIOG'ENES, [Greek.] A man’s name. 
OPHIOGLOS'SUM, f. [from the Gr. opi?, a ferpent, 
and yXoaaa, a tongue.] Adder’s Tongue ; in botany, a 
genus of the clafs cryptogamia, order filices, natural or¬ 
der of filices or ferns.— Ejj'ential Generic Charudters. Cap- 
fules numerous, connefted by a membrane into a didich 
fpike, fubglobular, when ripe opening tranfverfely, with¬ 
out anyeladic ring; feeds very many, extremely minute. 
There are thirteen lpecies, belides varieties. 
1. Ophiogloflum vulgatum, or common adder’s tongue : 
frond ovate, veinlefs, bearing the fpike. Common ad¬ 
der’s tongue has a fibrous root, and a fingle dent, round, 
very fmooth, upright, fimple, or unbranched, from a hand 
or finger’s length to a fpan or more in height; termina¬ 
ted by a didich, jointed, tongue-fiiaped, greenilh fpike, 
brown when ripe ; fubtended by a fingle, long-ovate, 
fucculent, nervelefs, leaf, embracing the llalk with its 
bale: the joints burd tranfverfely when ripe, and throw 
out numerous very-minute feeds. The leaf is commonly 
quite entire ; but it is fometimes finuated, angular, or 
ilightly lobed with fmall appendages on one or both fides. 
Bauhin has alfo defcribed a variety (y), which is fmaller, 
with a roundidt leaf. The fpike is naturally fimple, but 
fometimes the dalk divides at top, each branch lupport- 
ing a fpike, and the fpike itfeif fometimes divides into 
two or three. Many of the dalks are barren, producing 
a leaf only, without a fpike. 
The common people make an ointment with the frelh 
leaves, and ufe it to green wounds, calling it adder-Jpear 
ointment. It is a very ancient application, recommended 
by Matthiolus, Tragus, and others. Native of Europe, 
in moid meadows. In England it is not uncommon ; in 
Scotland, but not very common ; in Ireland, in meadows 
by the banks of rivers that leave fand and mud after 
floods. With us it was found by Mr. Newton at Bow, 
and Hackney Marfli ; by Dr. Sibthorp at Botley, Cowley, 
Headington, and South Leigh in Oxfordfliire ; by others 
in Grancheder-meadow, Whitwell, &c. in Cambridge- 
fliire; at Bedingham near Bungay, and near Meltingham- 
cadle in Suftolk ; Broadmoore, near Birmingham ; and 
near Biymhill in Staflordfliire ; Love-lane near Derby. 
Oblerved in meadows and by the fides of rivulets in the 
north of Yorkfliireby Mr. Curtis; between Ofpringeand 
Ore in Kent; near Hampdead and Harefield in Middlefex; 
and at Eadwuod and Gedling in Nottinghamfliire. It is 
reprefented on the Plate of Onopordum, p. 498. fig. 3. 
There are feveral varieties of this fpecies, of which per¬ 
haps the following is one. 
2. Ophioglodum ovatum, or ovate adder’s tongue: 
fpike from the dem ; leaf ovate, acute, coarfely reticula¬ 
ted. Native of the Ide of Bourbon, near the volcano; 
alio of fliady moid grafiy padures in Amboyna, ice. 
4 
O P H 
Much like the lad, with which mod people have con¬ 
founded it; but the above characters may perhaps be fuf- 
ficient to didinguifli them. 
3. Ophioglodum nudicaule, or naked adder’s tongue : 
fronds ovate; fcape leaflets. This is a very fmall plant, 
not an inch high. Root bundled, filiform/ Leaves few, 
radical, petioled, quite entire. Scape filiform ; fpike the 
length of the fcape, a little thicker. Native of the Cape 
ot Good Hope. Found there by Thunberg. 
4. Ophioglodum Lufitanicum, or Portuguefe adder’s 
tongue: frond lanceolate. Herb annual, dernlefs, two 
inches high, ereff. Leaf fingle, petioled, acute, quire 
entire, fmooth, the length three times as great as the 
breadth. Spike folitary, fadened to the bafe of the leaf, 
fimple, linear, compreded, draight, equal, divided on 
both fides by many lateral notches, emitting a yellow 
pollen, or rather perhaps very minute feeds. Native of 
Portugal, China, and Cochin-china. 
5. Ophioglodum gramineum, or grady adder’s tongue: 
fpike from the dem ; leaf linear-lanceolate, acute, riblefs. 
Gathered by Koenig in fiony padures on the coad of Ma¬ 
labar; in New Holland by fir Jof. Banks. More diminu¬ 
tive than any of the foregoing, being only two inches 
high, and very flender. The fpike is fcarcely furmounted 
by any point, or barren termination, which mod of the 
former have. 
6. Ophioglodum codatum, or ribbed adder’s tongue: 
fpike from the dem; leaf lanceolate-oblong, fingle-ribbed, 
reticulated with veins. Gathered by Mr. Brown at Port 
Jackfon, as well as in the tropical part of New Holland. 
We know it from his publication only. 
7. Ophioglodum bulbofum, or bulbous adder’s tongue: 
fpike from the dem ; leaf ovate, fomewhat heart-fliap^d, 
obtufe ; root bulbous. Native of Candy ground in South 
Carolina. Rather larger than O. Lufitanicum ; remarka¬ 
ble for its globofe bulbous root. 
8. Ophioglodum reticulatum, or netted adder’s tongue: 
frond cordate. This plant riles commonly to the height of 
five or fix inches above the root. Native of Jamaica and 
the continent of South America. 
9. Ophiogloflum palmatum, or palmate-leaved adder’s 
tongue : frond palmate with the fpike at the bafe. Native 
of South America. 
10. Ophioglodum pendulum, or pendulous adder’s 
tongue : fronds linear, very long, undivided. Native of 
the Ead Indies ; parafitical on trees, from which it hangs 
down. 
u. Ophioglodum fcandens, or climbing adder’s 
tongue : dem flexuofe, round ; fronds conjugate, pinnate; 
leaflets fpike-bearing on both fides. This is a climber, 
and rifes to a confiderable height on trees : the Italk is 
fmooth and flender, the leaves of a nervous texture, and 
fometimes divided into two or more unequal parts. Na¬ 
tive of both Indies, China, and Cochin-china, and every¬ 
where within the tropics. 
12. Ophiogloflumflexuofum, or winding-dalked adder’s 
tongue : fcape flexuofe, round ; fronds oppofite, petioled-, 
palmate; pinnas lanceolate, quite entire, fmooth. Very 
nearly allied to the preceding. Fronds remote on the 
dem, three or four lobed. Native of the Ead Indies. 
13. Ophiogloflum Japonicum, or Japonefe adder’s 
tongue: Item flexuole, angular; fronds fuperdecom- 
pound ; pinnules alternate, gaflied. Stem filiform, two¬ 
angled, fmooth, fcandent. Fronds alternate; lower 
three-parted, the middle lobe lanceolate; lateral ones 
bifid, ferrate, fmaller; the upper bipinnate with gaflied 
pinnules ; the uppermod flowering, with linear, equal, 
entire pinnules. It differs from O. flexuofum in its fu- 
perdecompound frond ; alternate, not oppofite, pinnas ; 
and from O. fcandens, in having the outmofl pinna not 
elongated, not eared at the bafe, and the frond decom¬ 
pound with about three pinnas, three-gailied. Native of 
Japan. 
OPHIOL'OGY, f. [from the Gr. o<pK, a ferpent, and 
Aoya;, a difcourle.] The liiflory and economy of ferpent-s. 
Serpents 
