154 Cornell Extension Bt^^letin q 



salmon marked with purple; G. roseo-purpureus — flowers of medium size, 

 of a deep rosy red marked with deep purple-red ; Wellington — flowers 

 large, deep orange-red. All these were raised by Mr. Cole, gardener to 

 Mr. Willmore, of Oldford, and were noted in the Floricultiiral Cabinet 

 for 1850, page 295. 



HISTORY OF GLADIOLUS IN AMERICA 



The gladiolus was not an important garden flower in America one 

 hundred years ago, and in comparison with other flowers it received 

 scant treatment in the garden books of the period. McMahon (1806) 

 mentions "gladioluses," or "gladiolus's," incidentally in his brief dis- 

 cussion of the culture of hardy bulbs, and likewise in connection with 

 Cape and greenhouse bulbs. A list of species with the common name 

 of each, taken from English garden works, is given at the end of his book. 

 As will be seen later, these species were not cataloged in this country. 

 Green (1828) does not mention gladioli. Sayers (1838) names the following 



species : 



Tender bulbous plants 



Gladiolus versicolor Variegated May, June 



G. cardinalis Dark red May, July 



G. psittacinus Yellow 



Florists' flowers 



Gladiolus alatus, bright orange G. floribunda 



G. hyzantium, delicate purple G. fragrans recurvus 



G. carneus, flesh-colored G. hirsutus rosea 



G. cardinalis, superb scarlet G. psittacina (parrot-like) 



A few years later the works of Breck (1851), Bridgeman (1847), and 

 others gave more space to the culture of gladioli, but it was not until 

 the time of the Civil War that there seems to have been a,ny considerable 

 interest in the flower. 



The most extensive collection of gladioli offered by any of the pioneer 

 American seedsmen was that of William Prince, who in 1825 offered the 

 following species and varieties : 



Gladiolus (Com flag, or sword lily) 

 Class, Triandria; Order, Monogynia 



1. Gladiolus communis, purple 



2. Gladiolus communis, rose-colored 



3. Gladiolus communis, large red 



4. Gladiolus communis, flesh-colored 



5. Gladiolus byzantinus, or Turkish flag 



6. Gladiolus segetum 



7. Gladiolus Watsonius, or scarlet flag 



8. Gladiolus tyger, yellow 



9. Gladiolus, large African 



