1869.] GLADIOLUS CRUENTUS. 121 



GLADIOLUS CRUENTUS. 



WITH AN ILLUSTRATION. 



,4-PJN the subject of the accompanying plate we have a very beautiful and 



^JS entirely novel species of the popular genus Gladiolus. It was received from 



^m Natal by Mr. Bull, of Chelsea, with whom it flowered during the past 



"V* summer, when our figure was taken. As will be seen from Mr. Fitch's 



excellent representation, it is not only a very showy plant, but also one of a 



very distinct character, and we believe it will be welcomed as a grand acquisition 



for the flower-garden, on account of its vigorous habit of growth, and its large 



brilliantly-coloured flowers. It will probably be also of great value to the 



hybridizer, and may be expected to impart some novelty of feature to the 



popular varieties of this favourite flower. As a species it is remarkable for its 



almost regular perianth, with blunt emarginate segments, but it has entirely the 



habit and aspect of the ordinary garden varieties of Gladiolus. 



The plant produces a tall scape, 2 ft. high or upwards, furnished with long 

 flag-like glaucous leaves, nearly an inch wide, the scape terminating in a distichous 

 spike of about a dozen large broadly-campanulate subringent flowers of a bright 

 blood-red colour, the segments of which are obovate or oblong- spathulate, and 

 emarginate, the upper ones being more prominent, somewhat larger than the 

 lower, and uniformly coloured, while the lower smaller ones are somewhat re- 

 curved, crimson at the base, and scarlet at the apex. The two lateral ones of 

 the lower lip are marked about half-way down with a white zone dotted with 

 crimson, which on the exterior edge runs out into a long point, like the flame of 

 the florists' tulip. The base of the segments, where they pass into the slender 

 tube, is marbled with yellowish green. The stamens have red filaments, 

 supporting linear purple anthers. M. 



NOTES ON NOVELTIES. 



U^pHE Floral Meetings of the past month or two have yielded fewer novel- 

 et]) ties than usual, amongst the subjects classed as New Plants. During 

 C£0 April, Mr. Bull brought forward a Ficus eburnea, a stove shrub introduced 

 ^g? from India, having bold ovate, smooth, shining green leaves, marked with 

 white ribs. The pretty Indian Ccelogyne Goweri came from Mr. Williams ; it 

 is white, the lip marked with a bold yellow blotch, the edge of which is traced 

 out by a red line. The curious and distinct-looking Indian Lilhim Thomsonianum 

 was shown in a tolerably well-grown condition by Mr. G. F. Wilson, from a bulb 

 communicated by M. Leichtlin ; this remarkable plant, with its narrow-petaled 

 pink flowers, has been referred to Fritillaria, and has much the aspect of an 

 Anthericum, but the authorities decide that it is a true Lily. An Agave De 

 Smetiana came from the garden of W. W. Saunders, Esq. ; this is one of the 

 dwarf tufted-growing sorts in the way of A. Verschaffeltii, but the leaves have a 

 3rd Series. — n. g 



