G L A 



G L A 



GLADIOLUS, a genus compriiinc: plants of 

 the tiiberoiis-rooted tlowerv perennial knicl. 



it belongs to llie cia-^s and order Triaiidria 

 Monngijnta, and ranks in the natural order ot' 

 Etna tee. 



The characters arc : that the calvx is a spathe, 

 two-valveil, inferior, shorter than the corolla ; 

 valves oblong, |tcrinancnt ; the outer one larsjer, 

 inclosing the inner: the corolla is one-peialTed, 

 superior: tube cylindric, bent: border some- 

 what bcli-shaped, six-parted ; segments oblon<r, 

 from erect- patulous, the uppermost and lowest 

 lateral either without orwitliin: the stamina 

 have three li laments, inserted i nto the ori lice oti lie 

 lube, lihforn), siiortcr than the corolla : anthers 

 ovate, incumbent: the pistillum is an inferior 

 germ, triangular: sivie filiform : stigmas three, 

 rolled back and spniiding, blunt, villose: the 



t)ericarpium is an ovate capsule^ three-cornered, 

 )lunt, three-celled, three-valved : the seeds very 

 many and smooth. 



The species are : 1 G. cnmrnuiiU, Conmion 

 Sword-Lily, or Corn-Flag ; 2. G. imhiicalu.f, 

 Imbricated - flowered Gladiolc; 3. G. trislis. 

 Square-stalked Gladiole; 4. G. aiiguslus. Nar- 

 row-leaved Gladiole j 5. G. cardinalis, Sujicrb 

 Scarlet Gladiole. 



The first has a yellowish, round, compressed 

 root covered with a brown furrowed skin; hence 

 spring two sword-shiped leaves, embracing each 

 other at the base, and between them rises the 

 fiower-slalk, growing near two feet high, having 

 one or two narrow leaves embracing it like asheath, 

 and terminated by five or six purple flow<-rs, one 

 above another at some distance, ranged on the 

 same side of the stalk : the spathe covers the 

 flower-bud before it expands, but splits open 

 lengthwise when it opens, and shrivels up to a 

 dry skin, remaining about the seed-vessel till 

 the seeds are ripe. 



It isdivided by Mr. Miller into three species, as 

 the common sort described above, with the flowers 

 disposed onone side the stalk, varying svith white 

 and flcsh-coloiircd f.owers, c.dled Italian Corii- 

 Jias ; the Italian, with flowers on each side the 

 stalk,<f which theieisavariety with white flowers, 

 named French Corn-Jlns: and the Great Corn-flag 

 of Byzantium, which has larger roots, but of the 

 same form ; the leaves are much broader and 

 larger, with deeper channels ; the flower-stalks 

 rise higher, the flowers are much larger, of a 

 deeper red colour, and the sheaths longer. This 

 is the sort mostly cultivated, which makes a fine 

 appearance when in flower, and the roots do not 

 increase so as to be inconvenient. 



Besides these, according to some, there are 

 three other varieties ; the Blush, the W bite, and 

 the Small Purple. 



In the second species the leaves are sword- 



shapeil, and the flowers siT)ali, being all directed Olio 

 w.ay, .Tud imbricate. It is a native of Kusria. 



In the ihir.l come out two or three narrow leave* 

 from tlieriMji, a loot .^idha'f lona;, having a lon- 

 giiudmal fuirow in the inidd'e, and euiiing in 

 acute points ; iliev are of a deep iireen, and stand 

 erect. Between these arises a slender taper sia'k, 

 about the same leiigth as the leaves, hai.iig one 

 or two short acute-pointed leaves on the Tower 

 part, embracing the stalk at their base : the 

 flowers are alternate, distant: the tube of tl.e 

 corolla curved downward, and not so long as in 

 iiiost of the other sorts; segments acute, and 

 nearly equal ; pale yellow or sulphur cclour. It 

 is a native of the Cape, flowxrinc in the end of 

 May. 



'Ihe flowers vary much with ditlcrent shades 

 of white and green, vellow, flesh-coloured, blue, 

 purple and violet. It is commonly said to pro- 

 duce only two flowers on a stem, but there arc 

 frequently more, wliich ecnerally give forth a 

 iTiost agrcealjle fragrance in their expansion. 



The fourth species has a siniplc scape, or but 

 little branched, sheathed, round, striated, smooth, 

 flexuose-erect, a foot high : the leaves are from 

 long sheaths, ensiform, marked with white ele- 

 vated streaks, entire, smooth, shorter than the 

 scape; the upper ones gradually smaller; the 

 flow-ers all on the same side, ascending, on one 

 or two spikes, a hand in length ; the rachis an- 

 gular, flexuose, twisted, smooth : the spathes the 

 length of the tube of the corolla, shorter than 

 the branches, green : the segments of the border 

 of the corolla usually waved. 



In the fifth the flowe's are fine scarlet, wiili 

 large white somewhat rhomboidal spots on se- 

 veral of the lowermost divisions of the corolla : 

 strong plants will throw up a stem three or four 

 feet high, dividing at top into several branches. 

 It flowers here in July and August ; and is pro- 

 bably a native of the Cape. 



Culture. — The first sort and varieties are capa- 

 ble of being readily increased, by planting the 

 ofl'-sets from the old roots in tli" begiiminsj of 

 the autumn, in the places where the plant Tare 

 to remain. 



The other sons m.iy likewise be rais^-d in the 

 same way as well as by seeds. These sl.oidd be 

 planted in a warm border, and be protected in 

 the winter by glasses or some other me;<.-is, w hen 

 there is a necessity for it. 



When raised from seed it should be sown to- 

 waids the end of August, in pots filled with 

 light earth, placing them in a shady situation at 

 first, but afterwards where they may be exposed 

 to the sun, being protected during the winier in 

 a hot-bed frante, free air being adnulted when 

 the weather is mild. In the spring the pots 

 should be removed to a shadv situation, wi;|i 

 3 F - 



