t 
; 
ae 
1900 SUPPLEMENT—RECENT INTRODUCTIONS, &c. 391 
GLADIOLUS. About 140 species are referred to this 
genus by J. G@. Baker. Stamens inserted at the throat 
of the perianth tube, contiguous and arching; filaments 
short, free; anthers linear, basifixed. A number of species 
formerly included here will now be found under Acidan- 
thera, Antholyza, Aristea, Babiana, Ferraria, 
Hesperantha, Ixia, Lapeyrousia, Melaspherula, 
Synnotia, Tritonia, and Watsonia. ; 
In order to grow this handsome garden favourite well, 
the ground requires pre aration, and a light sandy soil 
is best. If the soil is eee it must be well drained, 
and some road- or river-sand spread thickly over the 
surface, and lightly forked in. ‘The soil should always 
be prepared by trenching deeply the previous autumn. 
Cow- and stable-manure, mixed in equal proportions, and 
turned over two or three times, until the violent heat 
has abated and the manure has half-decayed, should be 
worked in during the process of trenching, one layer 
at the depth of 18in., and another at 9in. This would 
be the maximum depth. Sometimes the greatest depth 
would be 15in., and the lesser 6in. The ground should 
be prepared not later than October. 
During wipter and early spring, when the surface is 
dry, it should be lightly forked over. By the first week 
in’ March the ground is usually in good condition to 
plant out the first lot of corms. Drills as for Peas, 14in. 
apart, should be drawn, and the corms planted from Sin. 
to 12in. asunder, according to their size. The base of 
the corm should be placed about 4in. below the surface 
of the ground, some dry, clean, river- or silver-sand put 
under and over each, and the drill filled in again. The 
ground is often in a wet condition when the time 
arrives for planting out; if this is the case, still draw 
the drills, and use dry sand, but filling up the drill with 
some dry soil, anuaite siftings from the potting-shed. 
This gives the corms a good chance to start. 
A fresh lot of corms should be planted every two weeks 
until the end of May, and this will give a succession 
of blossom until the end of the season. The plants soon 
ene above ground if the weather is favourable, 
and as soon as they are discernible the Dutch hoe 
must be run through them to lighten the ground and 
destroy weeds. The hoe may be used with benefit even 
if no weeds are to be seen, d 
Gladioli are exceedingly well adapted for cutting to 
place in rooms, if the spike is cut when the first four or 
six blossoms have opened; the remainder of the flowers 
will open in the house. Gladioli have the best effect if 
their own foliage is used. 
A few of the very choicest varieties must also be 
selected to save seed from, and they must be cross- 
fertilised. This is easily done. The seed-bearing parent 
must be selected, and before the flowers are half-open 
the anthers pulled off with the fingers. When the flowers 
are fully expanded, the ee from some superior variety 
should be taken when the flowers are also fully developed, 
and the stigma of the seed-bearer touched. This should 
be done on successive days, until the entire spike has 
been cross-fertilised. 
The leaves of the Gladiolus remain green till yery late 
in the autumn, but the corms should be lifted from the 
middle to the end of October. As they are forked ont 
of the ground, cut the stalk off close to the crown, shake 
off the adherent soil, saving the bulblets, or “spawn,” 
clustering round the base of the parent corm, spread the 
corms out in an airy place, and when well dried, store 
in boxes or bags until planting time; but they must not 
be exposed to frost. 
To the species and varieties described on pp. 70-1, 
Vol. II., the following shonld be added : 
G. Adlami(Adlam’s). jl. greenish-yellow, five or six in a dense, 
simple, erect ee perianth tube nearly straight, lin. long, 
the segments oblong, acute, two of them granulated with red 
towards the tip. /. ensiform, lft. to 14ft. long, lin. broad at 
oo middle, with distant, stramineous ribs. Stem lft. to 14ft. 
ong. . 
G. angustus (narrow). /l. white, two to six in a very lax, 
equilateral spike ; perianth tube narrow-funnel-shaped, liin. to 
Zin. long,.the three lower segments haying a spade-shaped, 
pel mark in the centre. une. JU. three or four, linear, 
lat, 4in. to din. broad, the lower lft. or more in length. 1756, 
(A. B. R. 589; B. M. 602.) Syn. G@. trimaculatus. 
__ G, armeniacus (Armenian).* jl. deep purplish, small, numerous, 
Armenia, 1892. A handsome, dwarf species. 
Gladiolus—continued. 
G. atroviolaceus (dark violet). if dark purple, small, four 
to eight in a lax, secund spike. /. three, firm, linear, closely 
ribbed, 6in. to 12in. long. Syria, &e., 1889. 
G. aurantiacus (orange). . bright orange-yellow or tinged 
with red, many in a lax spike sometimes lft. long; perianth 
tube curved, 2in. long, dilated suddenly in the middle, the 
upper segments lin. fo 14in. long, the three lower shorter. 
2. four to six, ensiform, lft. to 14ft. long, 4in. to Zin. broad. 
Stem simple, about 3ft. long including the inflorescence. 
G. a. rubro-tinectus (reddish-tinged). fl. orange-yellow, 
thickly dotted with red. 1894. 
G. blandus albidus (white). #7. pure white. (A. B. R. “sh, 
under name of G. blandus; B. M. 648, under name of 
G. b. niveus.) 
G. b. carneus (flesh-coloured). The correct name of 
G. b. campanulatus (A. B. R. 188, under name of G. campanu- 
latus). 
G. b. Hibbertii (Hibbert’s). 1. pink, with very distinct, red, 
spade-shaped blotches on the three lower segments. 
G. b. Mortonius (Morton’s).* /. sub-erect; segments white, 
with copious vertical, faint pink streaks. 1837. (B. M. 3680, 
under name of G. Mortonius.) 
G. carneus (flesh-coloured). 
ventricosus. 
G. Cooperi is a variety of G. psittacinus. 
G. decoratus (decorated).* jl. bright purple, six to twelve in 
a very lax, secund spike ; perianth tube curved, lin. long, the 
upper segments jin. to lin. long, the lower having a pale, 
spade-shaped blotch nearly filling the blade. J. three or four, 
ensiform, sin. to Zin. broad, very oblique at base, the lower 
ones lft. long. Stem 2ft. to 3ft. long. Moramballa, East 
Africa, 1890. Stove. 
G. Eekloni (Ecklon’s).* jl. bright red, copiously and minutely 
spotted, six to twelve in a very lax spike; perianth tube 
curved, jin. to lin. long, the limb lin. long, the upper seg.nents 
sin. broad, the lower jin. broad. Autumn. 2. four to six, 
sub-basal, ensiform, rigid, with thick ribs, lft. long, lin. to 
lyin. broad. Stems robust, simple, 14ft. to 3ft. long including 
the spike. 1862. (B. M. 6335.) 
G. Elloni (Ellon’s). /l., perianth white, tipped with purple, 
star-shaped. 1890. Described as a pretty species in a Conti- 
nental periodical, but not given by Baker in “‘ Flora Capensis ” 
(1896). 
G. floribundus (of gardens). A synonym of G. oppositijlorus. 
G. fusco-viridis (fuscous-green). fl. greenish, with minute 
stripes of claret-brown, about 2in. long; scape 2ft. long, bearing 
about a dozen flowers. /. ensiform, ljin. long, lin. broad. 
1897, Allied to G. dracocephalus. 
G. Hibbertii (Hibbert’s). A garden form of G. blandus. 
G. hirsutus (hairy).* 1. bright red, three to six in a very Jax 
spike; perianth tube curved, l4in. long, the segments ldin. 
long. June. J. four to six, short, ensiform, rigid, very strongly 
ribbed, both blade and sheath finely hairy, Stems simple, 
hairy, lft. to 2ft. long including the spike. 1795. Syns. 
G. hirsutus roseus (B. M. 574), G. roseus (A. B. R. 11). 
G, illyricus (Mlyrian). jl. bright purple, three to six in a lax, 
secund spike ; perianth tube din. long, the limb lin. long. 7. two 
or three, linear, laxly nerved, din. broad, Stem slender, lft. 
to 14ft. long. Europe (Britain), Asia Minor, &e. 
G. i. Reuteri (Reuter’s). 7. narrower and stem _ slenderer 
than in the type. Spain and Portugal. Syn. G. serotinus. 
G. imbricatus (imbricated). . dark purple, four to ten in a 
secund spike; perianth tube din. long, the segments obtuse, 
lin. long. June. J. two or three, linear, laxly veined, Jin. to 
din. broad. Stem slender, lft. to iit. long. Hastern Europe, 
&c., 1820. Syn. G. neglectus. 
G. Kirkii (Sir John Kirk’s). f. in a lax, secund spike 6in. to 
12in. long; perianth tube sin. long, the segments pale pink, un- 
spotted, cuspidate, lin. long. J. tive or six, linear, glabrous, 
firm, strongly ribbed, slightly glaucous, 1ft. to 14ft. long, sin. 
to Zin. broad. Stem terete, 3ft. long including the spike. 1890, 
G. Kotschyanus (Kotschy’s). fl. light violet, about lsin. long, 
with a nearly regular limb, the lower segments rather paler than 
the others, with a dark, median stripe; spike loosely few- 
A synonym of G. cuspidatus 
flowered; scape lft. to 2ft. high including the inflorescence. 
May. J. three, linear, 6in. to 8in. long. Afghanistan, Persia, 
1880. (B. M. 6897.) P 
G. Leichtlini (Leichtlin’s). f. bright red; perianth tube 
arcuate, ljin. long, the upper segments connivent, the three 
below it; spike 
lower much smaller, red at the tip, yellow ] 
Stem 
dense, secund. 7. four, ensiform, bright green, lft. long. 
terete, 2ft. long. 1889. é 
G. Lemoinei eee. The type of a series of hybrids with 
bright yellow and bright red flowers, having large, ‘purplish- 
brown blotches at the base of the lower segments; they have 
been raised by M. Lemoine, of Nancy, by crossing G. gandavensig 
with G. purpureo-auratus. ‘Three are figured in Gn., July 24, 
1886, 
