Oreopanax
(from oreos, a mountain, and Panax; alluding to the relationship of the plants to Panax, and their natural habitats). ORD. Araliaceae. A genus of glabrous or tomentose, stove shrubs or trees, allied to Hedera. Sixty-four species have been enumerated, but this number may be reduced; they are natives of tropical America, mostly in the region of the Andes. Flowers capitate, racemose, or paniculate, sessile, each provided with two or three bracts; stamens equal in number to the valvate petals; ovary three to five (rarely six or seven) celled, surrounded by as many styles. Leaves entire, palmately lobed or digitately compound; lobes or leaflets entire or argutely toothed. All the species thrive in good loam, and require abundance of water during the summer months. During the dull winter season, when the plants are at rest, but little water will be needed. Propagated by cuttings of the young shoots. The species here described are probably the only ones yet introduced. O. Andreanum (Andre's). fl. in globular heads, arranged in a terminal, erect raceme. l. petiolate, elliptic, entire, or roundish or sub-cordiform and sub-trilobed, or palmate with pinnatifid lobes, covered beneath, as well as the petioles and branches, with a reddish, deciduous tomentum. Trunk simple or slightly branched. Andes of Ecuador, 1883. A very ornamental shrub.
O. dactylifolium (finger-leaved). l. palmate, usually sevenlobed; lobes deeply divided, and measuring from 6in. to 18in. in diameter; under side clothed with rusty tomentum, upper smooth and deep green. Mexico. An elegant, erect-growing shrub.
O. Epremesnilianum (Count Epremesnil's). l. large, digitate, long-petioled; leaflets seven to nine, the two outer ones oblong, entire, and narrowed at both ends, and the middle ones pinnatifid. 1883. This is probably only a variety of O. dactylifolium.
O. peltatum (peltate). fl. greenish-white, in globose heads, disposed in terminal panicles. l. long-stalked, coriaceous, five to seven-nerved, round-cordate or peltate-suborbicular, palmately three to five-lobed; lobes ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, remotely and repandly toothed. Mexico. (R. G. 1862, 363.)
O. platanifolium (Plane-leaved). fl., petals white, tomentose externally; heads sub-globose; raceme paniculate. l. petiolate, coriaceous, glabrous and shining above, fuscescent-tomentose beneath, truncate and seven-nerved at base, seven-fid at apex; divisions oblong, acuminate, entire. Stem arboreous. Andes of Peru. SYNS. Aralia platanifolia, Hedera platanifolium.
O. Thibautii (Thibaut's). fl. greenish, borne in numerous, globular, stalked heads, arranged on the side of an elongated axis. November. l. alternate, stalked, digitate; segments shortly stalked, lanceolate, glabrous. Mexico, 1862. Small tree. SYN. Aralia Thibautii. (B. M. 6340.) O. xalapense (Jalapa). fl. greenish; petals glabrous; heads sub-globose; racemes paniculate. April. l. long-stalked, digitate; leaflets five to seven, glabrous, shining above, dotted beneath, lanceolate-oblong, acute, narrowed at base, entire, sub-coriaceous. h. 6ft. Mexico, 1828. Shrub. SYNS. Aralia xalapensis and Hedera xalapensis.