HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS. 



GLA 



the great abundance in which they are produced 

 has made this a prominent parent in many ol 

 our present garden varieties. It flowers in 

 June Introduced in 1796. 0. coddeaius, the 

 Spoon-tipped Gladiolus, a curious species, with a 

 very slender stem, sometimes nearly two feet 

 lone The leaves are very narrow, straight, and 

 rigid, tapering to a sharp point. The flowers 

 are white; the three upper petals are only about 

 half the size of the three lower ones, more erect, 

 and are stained with a red, compass-shaped, 

 feathery mark; the central lower petal is spoon- 

 shaped, from which it takes its name. This spe- 

 cies must be grown in the green-house, as it 

 flowers in February and March. It was intro- 

 duced in 1809. G. communis, the common Glad- 

 iolus, is found pretty generally distributed 

 throughout the south of Europe. It consists of 

 three varieties: white, rose, and purple, all per- 

 fectly hardy, of easy culture, and desirable for 

 early flowers in the garden. They are of dwarf 

 habit, the flower spike rarely exceeding two feet 

 in height. The bulb should be planted in 

 autumn, and need not be disturbed oftener than 

 once in three or four years, and not then, 

 unless they get too thick, as they are liable to 

 do, from the immense quantity of offsets they 

 produce. A small clump will produce a large 

 number of spikes at a time when choice flowers 

 in the garden are scarce. G. ColviUei, a splendid 

 hybrid, produced in 1823, from the seeds of G. 

 concolor, that had been fertilized by the pollen 

 of G. carditialvi. The flowers are of a beautiful 

 scarlet, softening into purple in the margin, and 

 have a delicious fragrance. We should not give 

 this hybrid a place among the species, but for 

 the fact of its constancy, there not having been 

 any varieties produced from it. G. concolor, the 

 one-colored Gladiolus, is a very desirable spe- 

 cies for its color, which is of a clear bright yel- 

 low, and the form of its flowers, which are nearly 

 bell-shaped. The number of the flowers varies 

 from two to eight, and are produced on the 

 same side of the spike. In the evening it dif- 

 fuses a fragrance like the common Pink. This 

 species should be grown in a frame, as its season 

 of flowering is too early for spring planting, and 

 it is impatient of green-house treatment. The 

 species was introduced in 1790. G. cuspidatus, 

 the Sharp-pointed Gladiolus, is one of the most 

 remarkable species of the genus, from the great 

 length and undulation of the petals. The flow- 

 ers, which are produced in May or June, are 

 cream colored, but the lower petals are marked 

 with a very rich and most remarkable stain, 

 which looks like a spot of gold on dark purple 

 velvet. This species was introduced in 1795. 

 G. detrilis, the Weak Gladiolus, is a species bear- 

 ing solitary flowers, which differ materially from 

 most others of the genus, as all the sections of 

 the flower are spread open like the Ixias; the 

 two inner sections are marked with a rich, dark, 

 rose-colored spot near the base, the other por- 

 tions of the flower being white. The leaves and 

 stem are both very long, slender, and weak; 

 hence the name. G. edulis, the Eatable Gladio- 

 lus, is a remarkable species, from the fact that 

 it is entirely void of beauty. The flowers are 

 white, slightly stained with pink and yellow, 

 and so much curled that they look withered as 

 soon as they expand. The bulb is oblong, firm, 

 and white, and is roasted like chestnuts and 

 eaten by the natives of the Cape of Good Hope. 

 G. fasdatus, a very pretty dwarf species, the 

 stem seldom growing six inches high, and never 



GLA 



more than a foot. The flowers are of a delicate 

 pink, the petals have waved margins, and the 

 three lowev ones have a dark crimson streak 

 down each. This species requires pot culture, 

 as it flowers in winter. The stem is generally 

 branched, and if potted in a small pot first, 

 and afterward shifted two or three times into 

 others, getting gradually larger, without break- 

 ing the ball of earth, the plant will form a com- 

 pact little bush, covered with flowers. G. flori- 

 buiidus, the Abundant-flowering Gladioluses one 

 of the few species that is considered worthy of 

 cultivation in ordinary collections, as it compares 

 favorably with many hybrids of recent introduc- 

 tion. It grows about one foot high. The flow- 

 ers are produced abundantly on opposite sides 

 of the stem. They are very large, and stand 

 erect, opening widely, like little Lilies. They 

 are white, with a bright pink stripe down the 

 center of each petal. This species, if planted in 

 a dry, sandy soil, with a sunny exposure, is per- 

 fectly hardy around New York. They produce 

 an immense number of offsets, that will flower 

 the second year. Introduced in 1788. G. gra- 

 cttis, the Slender Gladiolus, is one of the least 

 ornamental of the genus, from the great length 

 and slenderness of the stem, its narrow leaves 

 and few flowers, which rarely number more than 

 three, and are of a pale lilac, with the lower 

 petals spotted with black. They are quite 

 hardy, and will grow well in the garden bor- 

 der. G. hirsutus, the Hairy Gladiolus, is a spe- 

 cies variable in habit, growing from one to three 

 feet high, as the soil and situation suits it. The 

 flowers are large, rose-colored, and all produced 

 on one side of the spike; the scapes and leaves 

 are edged with a deep red margin, and are quite 

 hairy. The fragrance of the flowers resembles 

 that of the Hawthorn. G. MiUerii, Miller's Glad- 

 iolus, an interesting species raised from seed 

 sent from the Cape to England in 1737. The 

 stem is about a foot high, and generally bends 

 to one side. The flowers are all on the same 

 side of the stem; they are large, and of a 

 pale yellow, with a dark pink stripe down the 

 center of each petal. This species requires to 

 be grown in a frame because of its early flower- 

 ing. G. Mortonius, Morton's Gladiolus, is a 

 handsome dwarf-growing species from Southern 

 Africa. The flowers are pale pink, nearly white ; 

 the leaves are broad, of yellowish-green. G. 

 psiilacinus, the Parrot Gladiolus, (synonym Na- 

 talensis,) is a species that is interesting from the 

 fact of its parentage to the whole family of hy- 

 brids of G. Gaiidavensis, now so extensively cul- 

 tivated. It is a native of the southeast coast of 

 Africa, near Port Natal, and, like other species 

 from there, it is more hardy than the Cape spe- 

 cies that are found much farther from the equa- 

 tor. It should be planted in the open ground, 

 and need only to be taken up when the bulbs 

 are overcrowded. It grows from three to four 

 feet high. The flowers are of the most intense 

 scarlet and yellow. G. ramosus, the Branching 

 Gladiolus, is unquestionably the finest species 

 of the genus. In the size and beauty of its flowers 

 it yields the palm to none, and, on account of its 

 peculiarly branching habit, it may be considered 

 the most ornamental. In favorable situations 

 the flower-stem will grow five feet high, and pro- 

 duce a succession of flowers from June until 

 August. The flowers are very large, well opened, 

 and of a rosy blush, with heavy carmine stains on 

 the three lower segments or petals. The leaves 

 are proportionately large and handsome, and the 



