Gladiolus Studies — I 



95 



HISTORY OF THE GENUS 



The botanists and herbalists of the sixteenth and early seventeenth 

 centuries, dealing only with the plants of Europe, did not give much 

 attention to gladioli. Therefore Uttle is found concerning this plant in 

 the writings of Cordus, Clusius, the Bauhins, Dodoens, Caesalpinus, and 

 Lobelius, and it is not until after 1750 that one finds numerous addi- 

 tions to the number of 

 gladioli. The history- 

 of the plant is as 

 follows : 



Gerarde (1597)^ 

 mentions the follow- 

 ing: 



C. Xarhonensis, French 

 com flag. Flowers purple 

 and arranged on both sides 

 of the stalk. 



G. Italicus, Italian com 

 flag. Flowers purple, sim- 

 ilar in form to the preced- 

 ing but arranged on one 

 side of the stalk. A variet\- 

 of this has pale-colored 

 flowers. 



The other forms 

 mentioned — G. Laciis- 

 tris, water sword-flag 

 (mentioned in second 

 edition, page 105), and 

 G. palttstris, water 

 gladiole — were plants 

 belonging to difi'erent 

 genera. 



Gerarde sa>'s fur- 

 ther: 



These kinds of come 

 flags growe in medowes, 

 and in eareable grounds among come in many places of Italy, as also in the parts of 

 Fraunce bordering thereunto. Neither are the fields of Austria and Moravia without 

 them, as Cordus writeth. We have great plentie of them in our London gardens, 

 especially for the garnishing and decking them up, with their seemely flowers.* 



The gladiolus flowered from iVIay to the end of June. 



Bradley (1728) describes sLx forms of gladioH: 



G. Narbonensis, French com flag. Flowers reddish purple and arranged on one 

 side of the spike. 



' Dates in parenthesis refer to bibliography, page 163. 



* It may be notei that Gerarde, in gi\-ing the various names of this plant, says that " Valerius Cordus 

 calleth corne flag Victorialis foemina; others \'irlorialis rotunda: In the Germanic toong, Seigtcurtz." 





Fig. 4. FLOWER of gladiolus SEGETUM 



