Gladiolus Studies — I 117 



The following described species are those concerned in the development 

 of the cultivated gladiolus. The majority of them, if not all. are still 

 offered in the catalogs of European dealers. Except as otherwise noted, 

 the descriptions are horn. Flora Capensis (Baker. 1896-97). 



G. alatus (Linn. Sp. Plant, edit. 2,53"); corm small, globose: tunics biown. mem- 

 branous; basal leaves 3-4. linear, rigid in texture, the lowest the longest, i-i ft. long. 

 |— i in. broad, closely and strongly ribbed: stem ^i ft. long including the inflorescence: 

 spiice usually simple, few-flowered, ver\- lax, with a very flexuose axis; spathe- valves 

 broad, green, oblong-na\-icular. the outer i-ij in. long; perianth pink; tut^ h in. long, 

 funnel-shaped at the top: upper segment cuctillate, obovate, ctmeate, with a short 

 claw, li— 1| in. long, 5— f in. broad; side ones shorter, suborbicular, not unguiculate; 

 3 lower deflexed, with a small obovate blade and a long distinct claw; stamens reaching 

 nearly to the tip of the upper segments: anthers lanceolate. 5 in. long. Thunb. Diss. 

 Sc. 15, ex parte; Andr. Bot. Rep. t. 8; Ker in Bot. Mag. t. 5S6; Gen. Irid. 132: Baker, 

 Handb. Irid. 221,. G. speciostis, Thunb. Fl. Cap. i. 196. G. papilionaceus, Lichten. in 

 Roem. et Sckull. Sysi. T>?. i. 408. Hebea galeata, Eckl. Top. Verz. 41. 



Var. p, G. namaquensis (Ker in Bot. Mag. t. 592) ; more robust, with lanceolate leaves 

 sometimes ij-2 in. Vroad. 9-10 flowers, and upper perianth-se^jments an inch broad. 

 Ker, Gen. Irid. 132. G. equitans, Thunb. Ft. Cap. 192. G. gaUaius, Andr. Bot. Rep. t. 122. 



G. atroviolaceus Boiss. Diagn. xiii. 14. [Description from Baker, 1892.] G. aleppicus 

 and petraus Boiss. — -Corm ovoid, \-\ in. diam.; ttmics of matted fibres, reticulated 

 upwards. Leaves 3, firm, linear, closely ribbed, 5—1 ft. long, \-\ in. broad. Stem slender, 

 i-It ft. long. Flowers 4-8 in a lax secund spike; outer spathe- valve lanceolate, green, 

 x~i in. long. Perianth-tube cur\-ed, narrowly funr.el-shaped, \ in. long: limb dark purple, 

 about an inch long: segments obcvate, obtuse; upper \ in. broad; lateral shorter; 3 lower 

 as long as the upper, with a claw as long as the blade. Anthers as long as the filaments, 

 mucronate. Capsule oblong, torulose, 5 in. long. Seeds globose, not winged. 



G. blandus (-\it. Hort. Kew. i. 64); corm globose, middle-sized; tunics of parallel 

 strand- of matted fibres; produced subbasal leaves 4, ensiform, firm in texture, glabrous, 

 the outer -J— i ft. long, h-\ in. broad; stem 1-2 ft. long including inflorescence, some- 

 times branched; flowers white with a tinge of red, 4-8 in a lax distichous spike, all 

 ascending; outer spathe- valves green, lanceolate, I5-2 in. long; perianth-tube atx)ut 

 1 5 in. long, much dilated and curxed at the top: limb rather longer than the tube, 

 segments oblong-spathulate, narrowed to a point, the top one about | in. and the 

 others about \ in. broad at the middle; stamens reaching more than halfway up the 

 hmb. Ker in Bot. Mag. t. 625: Gen. Irid. 140; Baker, Handb. Irid. 217. G. angustus. 

 Linn. herb, ex pete .' 



V.\R. ^, G. albidus (Jacq. Ic. t. 256); flower pure white. G. blandus, Andr. Bet. 

 Rep. t. 99. C. bloidus. lar. niveus, Ker in Bot. Mag. t. 648. 



V.VR. >, G. Mortonius i^Herb. in Bot. Mag. t. 3680); flowers suberect; segments 

 white, with copious, faint, vertical, pink streaks. 



V.AR. 9, G. escelsus (Sweet, Hort. Brit, edit: 2, 501); taller than the typQ, with longer 

 leaves and a perianth-tube 2 in. long. 



V.\R. =. G. cameus (Delaroche. Descr. 30, t. 4); more robust than the tj-pe. with 

 more numerous, more spreading pink flowers, with broader, less acute segments. G. eam- 

 panulatus, Andr. Bot. Rep. t. 188. G. blandus, var., Ker in Bot. Mag. t. 645. 



Var. Hibbertii, Hort., has pink flowers with verj- distinct, red, spade-shaped marks 

 on the three lower segments. 



G. byzantinus (Bankin), Miller. Diet. ed. vii. Xo. 3; Ker in Bot. Mag. t. 874; Reich. 

 Ic. Crit.. t. 643. [Descriprion from Baker, 1S92.] G. elatus Balb. — Corm globose, | in. 

 diam.; tunics brown, membranous. Leaves generally 3, ensiform, about a foot long, 

 ^-| in. broad, laxly ribbed. Stem 1^2 ft. long. Spike lax, man^'-flowered, 6-9 in. 

 long; outer spathe- valve lanceolate, i-i§ in. long. Perianth-tube slightlv cur\-ed, 

 \-k in. long: segments dark purple, i-i^ in. long, about equal in length; 3 upper shghtly 

 imbricated in fully expanded flower, i-| in. broad; 3 lower with a claw as long as the 

 blade, and a white line down the centre. Anthers 5 in. long, exceeding the filaments. 

 Capsule turbinate, | in. long. Seeds turgid, with a distinct membranous wing. 



