GLADIOLUS 



THE BULB BOOK 



GLADIOLUS 



rose, spotted with carmine and 

 white. 



G. gandavensis. — What is popularly- 

 known as the Ghent Gladiolus origi- 

 nated in 1837 with M. Beddinghaus, 

 gardener to the Due d'Aremberg, at 

 Enghien, by crossing 6r.^;se^tocmt<s and 

 G. cardiimlis. There can, however, 

 be little doubt that before the ganda- 

 vensis type had become fairly fixed, 

 the services of other species were 

 brought into force, and the most 

 likely of these were G. ojypositiflorus 

 (which shows in the white forms), G. 

 hlatidus, and G. ramosus. Other 

 species may also have been used, but 

 in any case the gandavensis Gladiolus 

 as we now know it, is the result 

 of much crossing and intercrossing 

 between the best forms as they 

 were developed. M. Souchet of 

 Fontainebleau was one of the earliest 

 to take to the serious business of 

 producing gandavensis hybrids. He 

 used the hybrids obtained from G. 

 cai-dinalis and G. jjsittacinus, and 

 crossed them with G. blandus and 

 G. 7ximosus, and in 1852 many of 

 them bloomed for the first time in 

 his garden, and were a vast improve- 

 ment on the original type. The 

 prevailing colours of the gandavensis 

 Gladioli are exquisite and delicate, 

 and consist of various shades and 

 mixtures of white, cream, violet, 

 crimson, lilac, purple, maroon, 

 salmon - red, rose, scarlet, yellow, 

 orange, pink, amaranth, etc., variously 

 striped and blotched. (See the 

 author's Practical Guide to Garden 

 Plants, p. 950.) 



G. glaucus. — A half-hardy Grecian 

 species not exceeding 1 ft. high, 

 having stiffish erect leaves, and 

 numerous bluish-red flowers striped 

 with red and white at the base (Eev. 

 /fort. 190G, .318). 



G. gracilis. — A distinct - looking 

 species 1 to 3 ft. high, having thick. 



stifEsh, and roundish leaves 6 to 12 

 ins. long, and a deep squarish channel 

 on each surface. The flowers appear 

 in March and April, and are usually 

 white, but vary somewhat in colour, 

 and are similar to those of G. recurvus. 

 (IJot. Mag. t. 562 ; Bed. Lil. t. 425 ; 

 JacqTic. t. 246.) 



G. grandis {G. versicolor). — This 

 species grows about 18 ins. high, and 

 has strong, roundish, deeply chan- 

 nelled leaves. The flowers appear in 

 May and June, about half a dozen in 

 a loose spike, and vary in colour from 

 reddish-brown to brown. {Bot. Mag. 

 t. 1042 ; And. Bot. Reg. 19.) 



G. hastatus. — This is closely related 

 to G. blanihis. It has roundish 

 deeply channelled leaves, and in April 

 and May appear the blush-white or 

 flesh-coloured flowers, tinted outside 

 with red. {Bot. Mag. t. 1564.) 



G. Kirki. — This species from Zanzi- 

 bar has linear grass-like leaves 6 to 8 

 ins. long, and bright rose-pink flowers 

 in a loose flexuose spike. 



G. Kotschyanus. — A native of 

 Afghanistan and Persia, with linear 

 leaves 6 to 8 ins. long. The clear 

 violet flowers appear about May and 

 June, the lower segments being some- 

 what paler in colour than the upper 

 ones, and having a darker band down 

 the centre. {Bot. Mag. t. 6897.) 



G. Leichtlini. — A Transvaal species 

 about 2 ft. high, having bright red 

 flowers, the lower segments of which 

 are yellow speckled with red. 



G. Lemoinei. — This beautiful sec- 

 tion was raised by M. Lemoine of 

 Nancy, France, by fertilising flowers 

 of G. jmrjmreo-ain'atus with pollen 

 from the most beautiful forms of G. 

 gandavensis. As the latter has the 

 blood of four or five species in its 

 veins, it follows that the Lemoinei 

 hybrids contain the blood of at least 

 one more species. During the past 

 thirty years many choice varieties 



247 



