GLADIOLUS 



GLADIOLUS 



1343 



The kinds of gladiolus. 



The following account includes those species that 

 appear to have any particular horticultural history; also 

 some of the prominent Latin-named hybrids, although 

 not all these hybrids may now be in commerce. 



INDEX. 



I. SPECIES OF GLADIOLUS (Nos. 1-27). 



Few of the original species of Gladiolus are in culti- 

 vation in their pure form. When grown at all, they are 

 prized chiefly as oddities, or because of their botanical 

 interest. The following species are either offered at 

 the present time in the trade or are parents of modern 

 garden forms: 



A. Fl. with a long, slender, cylindrical curved tube, 

 which is enlarged in the middle; segms. nearly 

 equal. (Homoglossum.) 



1. Watsdnius, Thunb. (Antholf/za revoliita, Burm.). 

 Cprm 1 in. diam., globose: st. slender, 18 in. or less, 

 with 1 long, narrow-linear and stiff If. and 2-3 short 

 sheathing Ivs.: fls. 2-4, in a lax 1-sided spike, 2 in. or 

 less long, bright red, the wide-spreading segms. oblong 

 and acute, the lower ones smaller and lanceolate-fal- 

 cate; stamens very short. S. Afr. B.M. 450. Little 

 known in this country, but offered by Dutch growers. 



AA. Fl. short and open, the tube short or scarcely any; 

 segms. very prominently clawed, usually unequal. 



2. alatus, Linn. Corm small, globose: small, the 

 st. only 4-12 in. high, and slender: Ivs. 3-4, linear and 

 rigid: fls. 3-4 in a lax spike, the curved tube ^fan. long, 

 the perianth pink and often strongly veined; segms. 

 very unequal, the 3 lower tongue-like and protruded, 

 the others obovate or nearly orbicular, all of them dif- 

 ferently colored toward the base; stamens nearly as 

 long as upper segms. S. Afr. B.M. 586; 592; the var. 

 namaquensis, Baker, which is more robust, with broader 

 Ivs., more fls., the upper segms. broad. 



AAA. Fls. of medium length, with a funnel-shaped tube, 

 which is flaring at the top; segms. narrowed below, 

 but not distinctly clawed. (Gladiolus proper.) 



B. Lvs. linear (%in. or less wide). 

 c. Perianth-segms. acute. 



3. grandis, Thunb. (G. versicolor, Andr.). Corm 

 globose, with coverings of thick wiry fibers : st. slender, 



2 ft. or less, terete: Ivs. about 3, terete, strongly ribbed, 

 \}/% ft- or I GSS long: fls. 6 or less in a lax 1-sided spike, 



3 in. long, with a curved tube; segms. nearly equal, 

 oblong-lanceolate and cuspidate, as long as the tube 

 and twice longer than the stamens, recurved and often 

 wavy, yellowish or creamy, tinged and striped with 

 purple-brown, especially on the keel: caps, oblong, 1^ 

 in. long; seeds winged. S. Afr. B.M. 1042. 



4. tristis, Linn. Very like the last : fls. 2-4, somewhat 

 smaller (2 in. or less long) ; segms. shorter than the tube 

 and not twice longer than the stamens, acute (short- 

 pointed), yellowish white with purple or blackish pen- 

 cilings, or var. concolor, Hort., Fig. 1648 (G. concolor, 

 Salisb.), almost white or uniform yellow. S. Afr. B.M. 

 272, 1098. G. 21:649. Gn. 75, p. 420. G.C. III. 38:187 

 (var. concolor). G.F. 8:75 (reproduced in Fig. 1648). 

 Said to exhale a powerful and delightful lemon 

 perfume at night. 



5. angustus, Linn. (G. trimaculatus, Lam. G. cor- 

 datus, Thunb.). Corm globose: slender: st. 2-3 ft., 

 simple: Ivs. 3-4, very narrow, flat, 2 ft. or less long: 

 fls. 2-6 in a very loose spike, long-tubed, white, the 

 oblong segms. shorter than the tube and the 3 lower 

 ones with a characteristic purple median line ending 

 in a heart-shaped or spade-shaped mark; stamens half 

 length of limb. S. Afr. B.M. 602. 



cc. Perianth-segms. obtuse. 

 D. Color purple or violet. 



6. crispifldrus, Herb. (G. imbricatus, Linn., var. 

 crispiflorus, Baker). St. 1-2 ft., rather slender: lys. 

 2-3, sometimes ^m. broad: fls. 4-10, the tube J^in. 

 long and curved, the segms. obovate (1 in. long), 

 crisped or wavy on the edge, dark purple, more or less 

 marked with white and red: seeds winged. E. Eu. and 

 W. Asia. Hardy or nearly so. 



7. atroviolaceus, Boiss. Corm ovoid, %in. or less 

 diam. : st. 1-2 ft. high : Ivs. 3, closely ribbed, firm : fls. few, 

 the tube Jiin. long and curved, the obovate segms. 1 in. 

 long and dark purple or violet-blue : seeds globose, not 

 winged. W.Asia. G.C. 111.41:378. Hardy or nearly so. 



8. bifldrus, Klatt. Corm globose, small (^in. diam.) : 

 dwarf (1 ft. or less), the st. slender and terete and bear- 

 ing only 1 well-formed If., which is subterete and very 

 narrow and 5-6 in. long, the 2 upper Ivs. rudimentary: 

 fls. 2-3, lilac, the tube nearly straight, the oblong segms. 

 twice as long as the tube; stamens reaching half-way 

 the limb. S. Afr. Connects with Geissorhiza. 



DD. Color (under-color) white or nearly so. 



9. vittatus, Hornem. (G. vinulus, Klatt. G. fasciatus, 

 Roem. & Schult. G. undulatus, Schneev.). Corm glo- 

 bose: plant low (about 1 ft.): Ivs. 3-4, very narrow: fls. 

 3-6 in a lax spike, nearly erect, the slightly curved tube 

 nearly or quite an inch long, the limb longer than the 

 tube, pink, the 3 lower segms. with a purple central 

 blotch; stamens reaching half-way the limb. S. Afr. 

 B.M. 538 (as G. undulatus, var.) 



BB. Lvs. ensiform (y&n. or more broad, and flat or 



flattish) . 

 c. Under- or body-color essentially purple. 



10. communis, Linn. Corm about %in. diam.: 

 st. 1^-23/6 ft.: lys. 3-4, 1 ft. or less long: fls. 4-8, small 

 (\ l /z in. long), with a curved tube; segms. bright purple 

 (flesh-colored in the var. carneus), nearly equal in 

 length, all connivent or touching (making a narrow 

 fl.), the 3 lower ones long-clawed and with a median 

 line: seeds broad-winged.. France, Germany. B.M. 86, 

 1575. Hardy; little known in cult, in this country. 

 Variable; Nos. 11 and 12 are by some considered to be 

 forms of it. 



11. byzantinus, Mill. Fls. more and larger, plant 

 more robust than in No. 10, segms. more spreading at 

 maturity, although the 3 upper ones are contiguous, 

 dark purple, the 3 lower ones with a prominent white 

 median line: seeds winged. Medit. region. B.M. 874. 

 Hardy; little known in gardens. 



12. segetum, Ker. Differs from G. byzantinus in 

 having globular (not winged) seeds, and in the flaring 

 or spreading segms. of the bright purple, obovate- 

 obtuse sepals. Canaries and Medit. region. B.M. 719. 

 Hardy and early; little grown. 



