ON GLADIOLI 191 



ful modern varieties. Ne Plus Ultra, spotted, an early 

 bloomer, is doubtless a hybrid. Psittacinus, red and 

 yellow, blooms in July. Purpureo-auratus, yellow and 

 purple, has been much used as a parent. Ramosus, rose, 

 is a July bloomer. Saundersii, scarlet and white, bloom- 

 ing in August, has been used as a parent. Tristis y with 

 brown and red flowers in July, is not showy, but is 

 scented. 



Classes. Gandavensis, the most important of the 

 foregoing, took its name from the fact that it was sent 

 out by a Ghent (French Gand) florist, but it was raised 

 at Enghien, where it was secured by crossing psittacinus 

 with either cardinalis or oppositiflorus. Variations ap- 

 peared, and were intercrossed, so that we soon had a 

 large number of varieties bearing the sectional name of 

 Gandavensis. The best of them are distinguished by 

 beautiful symmetry. But the value of the hybrid did 

 not rest in this. It was crossed with the species purpureo- 

 auratus, and gave an entirely distinct blotched section 

 called Lemoinei, after the Nancy hybridist Lemoine. 

 It was further crossed with seedlings of Saundersii, and 

 gave us the Childsii section, which are distinguished by 

 very large flowers, albeit set loosely on the spike. Cross- 

 ing between varieties of the Lemoinei and Gandavensis 

 groups gave the sub-section Nanceianus. 



One feels a little apologetic in referring to these 

 various processes and their result, but it happens that 

 some dealers classify the varieties in their catalogues, 

 and without a few words of explanation the reader might 

 be puzzled by the group headings. It really is not neces- 

 sary to keep the classes separate to enjoy Gladioli as 

 garden flowers. If a variety is beautiful we need not 

 probe its parentage, although this is a proceeding which 

 has its interest for a good many flower-lovers. The 



