O R O 
O R O 
7S7 
It is * .native of France and England. Found by Mr Ray 
at Gamblefby in Cumberland, about fix (ten) miles from 
Penrith ; in the way toNewcaftle, in the hedges and paf- 
tures, plentifully; by Tho. Willifel, below Breclcnock- 
hills in the way to Cardiff, and in Merionethfhire not far 
from Bala; in Denbighfhire, by Mr. Griffith ; in the upper 
part of Merley-wood near Oxford, by Dr. Sherard. In 
Scotla'nd plentifully, by Mr: Sutherland and Dr. Hope; on 
the Tweed, half a mile below the Buld, by the latter; in 
the woods about Airly Gallic, by Mr. Donn ; on the bank 
of the Clyde near Lanark; and in the ifle of Rum, by 
Mr". Lightfoot. In Ireland, near Rofs Trevor, by Dr. 
Sherard. It flowers from May to July. 
A truly-wonderful variety of O. lylvaticus was found 
by the late Mr. Todd, on hills near H.ifod, Cardiganfhire, 
the admired feat of the late T. Johnes, efq. In this the 
leaves are Ample and (blitary, from five to ten times the 
fize of the ufual leaflets, and more obtufe. Though this 
variety has been much cultivated, it has never yet been 
known to produce flowers. 
16. Orobus Vetietus, or Venetian bitter vetch : leaves 
pinnate, ovate, acute, four-paired ; ftem Ample. Root 
perennial. Stalks two or three, about a foot high. The 
flowers appear in March or April, and the feeds lometimes 
ripen in May. Native of Italy. 
17. Grobus Americantis, or American bitter vetch : 
leaves pinnate, linear-lanceolate, tomentofe underneath; 
Item very much branched, frutefcent. This grows natu¬ 
rally in Jamaica, whence the late Dr. Houftoun fent the 
feeds in 1731. It rifes with a very branching woody flalk, 
about three feet high; the leaves are compofed of five or 
fix pairs of narrow fpear-fhaped leaflets, which are woolly 
on their under fide. The flowers grow in loofe fpikes at 
the end of the branches, are of a pale-purple colour, and 
arefucceeded by fmooth comprefled pods an inch and a 
half long, each containing five or fix roundifh feeds. 
j8. Orobtis argenteus, or filvery bitter vetch : leaves 
pinnate, oblOng-ovate, Alky underneath ; ftem ereft, to¬ 
mentofe ; flowers in terminating fpikes. This fort was 
difcovered by the late Dr. Houftoun at Vera Cruz, wdience 
he fent the feeds to England. It rifes with a ftirubhy 
ftalk five or fix feet high, dividing into many {lender 
branches, which are covered with a brown woolly bark, 
and have foft fatiny winged leaves; thofe on the young 
branches are compofed of four pairs of oval obtufe leaflets, 
of a browmifli-green colour, hairy on their upper fide, but 
of a filvery Alky hue on their under. The leaves on the 
upper branches are compofed of feven or eight pairs of 
oblong ova! leaflets, of the fame colour and confidence as 
the lower. The flowers are produced in longeredi fpikes 
at the end of the branches; they are of a deep-purple co¬ 
lour, and are fucceeded by long woolly comprefled pods, 
each containing four or five feeds. 
19. Orobus procumbens, or procumbent bitter vetch : 
leaves pinnate; outer leaflets larger, tomentofe; ftem pro¬ 
cumbent. Difcovered alfo by Dr. Houftoun at Vera 
Cruz; and he fent it to England in 1730. This is a 
low plant, whofe ftalks bend to the ground, and are fel- 
dom more than fix or eight inches long, from which 
come out a few ftiort fide-brancbes; the leaves are com¬ 
pofed of four or five pairs of (mail oblong oval woolly 
leaflets, terminated by an odd one, the upper ones being 
much larger than the lower. The flowers come out in 
finail hunches, Handing upon fliort axillary peduncles; 
they are final!, and of a bright-purple colour; thefe are 
fucceeded by comprefled pods near two inches long, each 
having fix or feven roundifh comprefled feeds. 
20. Orobus coccineus, or fcarlet bitter vetch : leaves 
pinnate; leaflets linear, villofe ; ftem procumbent; flow¬ 
ers axillary and terminating. This was difcovered at the 
fame time, growing naturally in the fame country as the 
former, by the fame gentleman. It has a pretty thick 
woody root, which fends out many flender ftalks a foot 
•ami a half long, trailing upon the ground. The flow¬ 
ers come out from the fide and at the end of the ftalks, 
three or four Handing upon a ftiort footftalk; they are 
finail, and of a fcarlet colour, and are fucceeded by fliort 
taper pods, each containing three or four finail rolindifli 
feeds. 
Propagation and Culture. All the fpecies, except the 
four Lift, are hardy perennials, and feveral of them may 
be increafed by parting their roots. The bell: time for 
doing this is in the autumn, that the plants may be well 
eflabiiftied before the fpring ; for, as feveral of them begin 
to put out their ftalks very early in the fpring, fo, if they 
are then difturbed, it will either prevent their flowering, 
or caufe their flowers to be very weak. Moll of thefe 
plants delight in a fliady fituation, and a loamy foil. 
They are alfo propagated by feeds; but thefe fhould be 
Town in the autumn : for, if they are kept out of the 
ground till fpring, many of the forts will never grow, and 
thofe which do, feldom vegetate the fame year. When 
the plants come up, they mull be kept clean from weeds ; 
and, where they are too clofe together, they fhould be 
thinned, fo as they may have rootn to grow till autumn, 
when they ftiould he tranfplanted into the places where 
they are defigned to remain. If the roots are ftrong, they 
will flower very well the following fpring; but thofe 
which are weak will not flower till the fecond year ; there¬ 
fore, fuch may be planted in a fhadv border at four or five 
inches diftance, where they may grow one year to get 
ftrength, and then may be removed to the places where 
they are to remain. The farther care of them is only to 
dig the ground between them in winter, and in fummer 
to keep them clean from weeds. 
The four laft-mentioned forts, being natives of hot 
countries, are tender, and muft be preferved in ftoves, 
otherwife they will not live in England. Thefe are pro¬ 
pagated by feeds, which fhould be Town early in the fpring, 
in finail pots filled with light rich earth, and plunged into 
a hot-bed of tanner’s bark, obferving frequently to moiften 
the earth, otherwife the feeds will not grow. When the 
plants come up, they ftiould be carefully taken out of the 
pots, and each tranfplanted into feparate fmall pots filled 
with rich earth, and then plunged again into the tan-bed, 
obferving to fhade them until they have taken root ; after 
which time they fhould have frefli air admitted to them 
every day in warm weather, and muft be frequently wa¬ 
tered. With this management the plants will make a 
great progrefs. When any of the plants are grown too 
tall to remain in the hot-bed, they fhould be taken our, 
and plunged into the bark-bed, in the Hove, where they 
may have room to grow, efpeciallv the 17th and 18th 
forts ; but the other two, being of humbler growth, may 
be kept in the hot-bed until Michaelmas, when the nights 
begin to be cold ; at which time they fhould he removed 
into the ftove, and plunged into the bark-bed, where 
they muft be treated as other tender exotic plants ; bv 
which method they may be preferved through the winter, 
and the following fummer they will produce flowers. 
Thefe plants are perennial; fo that, if they fhould not 
perfect their feeds, the plants may be maintained for fe¬ 
veral years. See Annus, Ervum, and Galega. 
OROCONI'TES, f. A name given by Hippocrates, and 
others, to a bulbous root that is recommended as a rich 
food. It has the name from the Greek ojo,-, a mountain, 
and xonTEf, of a conic figure: This fhows that it was a 
root of fuch a fhape, found growing in mountainous 
places; but the learned have been puzzled in their at-* 
tempts fo find out what it was. 
ORODA'DA, a town of Peru, on the coaft: fix miles 
Couth-weft of Payta. 
ORO'DES, the name of two kings of Parthia. See 
that article. 
ORO'E, an ifland of Denmark, at the fouth end of the 
Little Belt, about twelve miles long and two wide : eight 
miles fouth-vveft of the ifland of Funen, and fix weft of 
Langeland. Lat. 54-. 59. N. Ion. 10.20. E. 
OROESKIO'BIMG, 
