GLADIOLUS 



THE BULB BOOK 



GLADIOLUS 



have been raised in England and on 

 the Continent. The Lemoinfi hybrids 

 are distinguished by a large, beauti- 

 ful, golden-yellow blotch with borders 

 of purple, scarlet, maroon, etc., on the 

 lower segments. There are many 

 shades of colour, including carmine, 

 rosy-purple, sulphur, salmon, yellow, 

 creamy-white, blood-red, etc., more or 

 less beautifully blended. 



G. Mackinderl — A species from 

 Mt. Kenia, British E. Africa, with 

 slender stems about 2 ft. high, and 

 very narrow leaves about 1 ft. long. 

 Flowers scarlet with a yellow tube, 

 on spikes about 6 ins. long. {Bot. 

 M'irj. t. 75<50.; 



G. Nanceianas. — These hybrids 

 were also raised by M. Lemoine of 

 Nancy, and distributed in 1889. 

 The plants surpass in size and 

 beauty all other kinds except the 

 Childfi race. They are the result 

 of crossing G. Saundersi with the 

 best forms of G. Lernrnnei. They 

 are as hardy as the gandavenfis 

 section, and much more free- 

 flowering. The colours 

 the most brilliant and var: 

 and heavily spotted. Amo:^^' m-.- 

 shades of colour may be mentioned 

 purple, claret, orange, red, maroon, 

 orange-scarlet, violet, carmuie,vari- 

 ously striped and blotched with 

 distinct and harmonising colours. 



G. nanus. — Under this name 

 there are now in cultivation several 

 varieties of hybrid Gladioli that 

 have been evolved from successive 

 crossings of several species, such 

 as G. hlandm, G. cardinalit, G. 

 triftit, G. trimncvlatm, and no 

 doubt others. These hybrid off- 

 spring are characterised by having 

 slender and somewhat flexuous stems, 

 two or three of which often spring 

 from one conn, and by their rather 

 small flowers resembling those of C. 

 CdvUlei and its varieties, having 



pointed segments, the three lower 

 ones being usually conspicuously 

 blotched with a distinct colour. 



The cultural treatment of these is 

 precisely the same as for the Colvillei 

 section, the plants being grown either 

 in the open air or tmder glass accord- 

 ing to circumstances. 



G. oppoeitifloras. — A native of 

 Kafifraria, with large conns and leaves 

 1 to 2 ft. long. The flowers are white 



248 



with a small red band, and from 

 thirty to forty are borne on a stalk 

 about 2 ft. high in autumn. This is 

 supposed to be one of the parents of 

 the " Gandavensis " hybrids. {Bot. 

 Mao. t "2Si2; Gard. Chron. 1693, L 

 f. 41 ; Garden, 1694, L 163.) 



G. Papiiio. — This species grows 

 from H to 2 ft. high, and has broadly 

 tubular blossoms of a very pale purple 

 colour, splashed and variegated with 

 deep purple and golden-yellow {Bot. 



