G L A 



G L A 



GLADIOLUS, a genus comprising plants of 

 the tuberous-rooted flowery perennial kind. 



It belongs to the class' and order Triandria 

 Monogynia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Ensatce. 



The characters are : that the calyx is a spathe, 

 two-valved, interior, shorter than the corolla : 

 valves oblong, permanent ; the outer one larger, 

 inclosing the inner: the corolla is one-petalTed, 

 superior : tube cylindric, bent : border some- 

 what bell-shaped, six-parted ; segments oblong, 

 from erect-patulous, the uppermost and lowest 

 lateral either without or within: the stamina 

 have three filaments, inserted into the orifice of the 

 tube, filiform, shorter than the corolla : anthers 

 ovate, incumbent: the pistillum is an inferior 

 germ, triangular: style filiform : stigmas three, 

 rolled back and spreading, blunt, villose: the 

 pericarpium is an ovate capsule, three-cornered, 

 blunt, three-celled, three-valved : the seeds very 

 many and smooth. 



The species are : 1 G. communis, Common 

 Sword-Lily, or Corn-Flag ; 2. G. imbricatus, 

 Imbricated -flowered Gladiole; 3. G. tristis, 

 Square-stalked Gladiole; 4. G. angustus, Nar- 

 row-leaved Gladiole; 5. G. cardinalis, Superb 

 Scarlet Gladiole. 



The first has a yellowish, round, compressed 

 root covered with a brown furrowed skin; hence 

 spring two sword-shaped leaves, embracing each 

 other at, the base, and between them rises the 

 flower-stalk, growing near two feet high, having 

 one or two narrow leaves embracing itlikeasheath, 

 and terminated by five or six purple flowers, 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 on one side the stalk, varying with white 

 and flesh-coloured flowers, called Italian Corn- 

 flag; the Italian, with flowers on each side the 

 stalk, of which there is a variety with white flowers, 

 named French Corn-flag: 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 White, and 

 the Small Purple. 



In the second species the leaves are sword- 



shaped, and the flower&small,beingalldirectedonc 

 way, and imbricate. It is a native of Russia. 



In the third come out two or three narrow leaves 

 from the root, a foot and half long, having a lon- 

 gitudinal furrow in the middle, and ending in 

 acute points ; they are of a deep green, and stand 

 erect. Between these arises a slender taper stalk, 

 about the same length as the leave-, having one 

 or two short acute-poinled leaves on the lower 

 part, embracing the stalk at their base : the 

 flowers are alternate, distant: the tube of the 

 corolla curved downward, and not so long as in 

 most of the other sorts; segments acute, and 

 nearly equal ; pale yellow or sulphur colour. It 

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

 May. 



The flowers vary much with different shades 

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

 purple and violet. It is commonly said to pro- 

 duce only two flowers on a stem, but there are 

 frequently more, which generally give forth a 

 most agreeable fragrance in their expansion. 



The fourth species has a simple scape, or but 

 littlebranched, 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 

 flowers 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 Howe's are fine scarlet, with 

 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. 



Cul/ure. — The first sort and varieties are capa- 

 ble of being readily increased, by planting the 

 off-sets from the old roots in the beginning of 

 the autumn, in the places where the plants are 

 to remain. 



The other sorts may likewise be raised in the 

 same way as well as by seeds. These should be 

 planted in a warm border, and be protected in 

 the winter by glasses or some other means, when 

 there is a necessity for it. 



When raised from seed it should be sown to- 

 wards 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 winter in 

 a hot-bed frame, free air being admitted when 

 the weather is mild. In the spring the pots 

 should be removed to a shady situation, witli 

 3F2 



