Gladiolus Studies — I lee 



Under Greenhouse Plants the following are given: 



735. Rose-colored gladiolus, G. africanus roseo 



736. Yellow gladiolus, G. africamis lutec 



737. Xarrow-leaved red gladiolus, G. angustifolia rubra 



738. Two-spotted gladiolus, G. bimaculatus 



739. Sad-flowering gladiolus, G. triste 



The first species was offered at 12 cents for each bulb, the next three 

 kinds at 20 cents, the fifth kind at 25 cents, the sixth at 50 cents, and all 

 the others at Si each. 



The oldest American catalog constilted in this work was that of Grant 

 Thorbiirn for 1824. Here are offered "Gladiolus, or Sword Lily, beau- 

 tiful," at 12 cents, and "Gladiolus by name, superb varieties," at 50 

 cents each. Thorbum offered in 1827 the following gladioli, the prices 



of which also are interesting: 



E; 



alatus, or wing-flowered Bright orange $ 



byzantimis, or Turkish flag Delicate purple 



carneus Flesh-colored 



cardinalis, or large-flowered Superb scarlet 



floribundus, or cluster-flowered 



fragrans recurviis, or sweet-scented 



Jrimiculata 



hirsutis roseo, or rose-colored 



The catalog of Thorbum for 1832 includes psittax:ina (parrot-like), a 

 new and splendid variety sold at 75 cents each or $6 a dozen. Frimi- 

 culata was dropped. Aside from these two changes the hst is similar to 

 the preceding. 



Landreth in 1828 cataloged G. undulahis and G. carneus. 



The editor of American Gardeners' Magazine stated in 1835 that G. 

 byzantimis, G. cardinalis, and G. communis were the only kinds observed 

 in the gardens around Boston. In the same year S. Sweetser read a paper 

 at the January meeting of the Massachusetts Horticultiu-al Society, 

 entitled Remarks on the Management of Gladiolus natalensis (now properly 

 known as G. psittacinus) . He had flowered the species the year before 

 from bulbs procured from Thorbum, who imported the species in 1832 

 and offered it to his customers. Later (in 1835) it was stated that G. Col- 

 villei and G. tristis were flowered by Mr. Gushing. Baron von Ludwig 

 sent a collection of bulbs to the Massachusetts Horticultural Society in 

 1836, and among them were G. hirsutus, G. blandus, and G. alatus. Marshall 

 P. Wilder flowered and exhibited G. floribundus and G. pudibundus (a 

 hybrid raised by Dean Herbert) in 1837. 



Hovey & Co. in 1839 offered corms of G. natalensis at 20 cents each, 

 and of G. floribundus at 50 cents each. 



R. Btiist in 1844-45 cataloged the species bimacidatus, blandus, byzan- 

 tinus, cardinalis, Colvillei, floribundus, formosissimus, galeatus, hirsutus. 



