THE GLADIOLUS 11 



gladiolus have been developed was raised in 1839 

 by M. Bodinghaus, gardener to the Due d'Aren- 

 berg of Enghien. Like the other hybridizers, he 

 used Gladiolus cardinalis for one parent form, 

 the other parent being a species known as Gla- 

 diolus psitt acinus. 



We have seen that the cardinalis was used by 

 the earlier hybridizers. It appears that the psit- 

 tacinus was also used in hybridizing experiments 

 by the Dean of Manchester. But either he did 

 not make the precise cross that was now made 

 by the Belgian gardener, or the strains he used 

 were somewhat variant; for the hybrid now pro- 

 duced had qualities that gave it a new appeal to 

 flower lovers in general, and in particular made 

 it a flower of such easy cultivation and such 

 striking appearance as to make a strong bid for 

 popularity among amateurs. 



It gained such vogue as to be thought of every- 

 where not only as a distinct species but as repre- 

 senting a type form of the race of gladioli. It 

 was named gandavensis, from Gand (Ghent), 

 the place of its origin. 



It is believed, however, that the form of gladio- 

 lus that came to be known everywhere as the 

 gandavensis has in its racial strains the blood 

 of many other species beside the original parents. 

 . It is almost certain, for example, that the strain 



