364 



Garden and Forest. 



[September 26, 



others that will tolerate no frost at all. As the hardiness of a 

 plant, however, does not depend upon temperature alone, the 

 native country of a species affords no sure indication of its 

 ability to withstand severe cold. 



The species of the north temperate zone are not, as a class, 

 as showy as the tropical kinds ; yet, in their way, they are very 

 beautiful, and, as far as I have tried them, perfectly hardy. Ac- 

 cording to Baker's enumeration there are fourteen of these 

 and several well-marked varieties. Few of these are in culti- 

 vation, though some of them are very desirable, especially the 

 purplish blue G. Kotschyanus of Persia. 



I find that G. Byzantinus, G. coiiuiuniis in its three varieties, 

 G. imbricatus, G. Illyricus, G. scgetiim and G. iriphyllus with- 

 stand the cold of our winters very well, though the last named, 

 a Cypriote species, is a little tender unless in well drained soil 

 and even then it is better for a covering of leaves. It will be 

 found, indeed, that all of these kinds will do better with some 

 protection ; and, in fact, without it will increase very slowly, if 

 at all. 



The African species are the most satisfactory for horticul- 

 tural purposes, being, in the main, more beautiful than the 

 others and generally very easy of cultivation. A few of them 

 attain the height of stalk and something approaching the size 

 of flower of the gorgeous garden hybrids so generally cultivat- 

 ed under the name of G. Gandavensis. 



The following species are best treated as the hybrids 

 just mentioned ; that is, planted in the open ground in May 

 and taken up again in October. They may be kept in bo.xes in 

 a cellar where the winter temperature is about 40° Fahr. 



G. purpureo-aitratus. — Tliis is a native of Natal. It has 

 stiff, narrow and somewhat glaucous foliage, and a slender but 

 rigid flower-stalk about three feet high. The flowers are 

 from si.x to ten, of a peculiar shape, the upper segment being 

 curved over like a hood. They are not large, an inch and a 

 half being the average breadth, and are yellow, with blotches 

 of a color between crimson and purple. The ground color is 

 by no means as strong and pure a yellow as in the figure in the 

 Botanical Magazine (t. 5944), but rather somewhat greenish. 

 This species is likely to be better known in its oif'spring than 

 in its own person, for it is one parent of the " Lemoine hy- 

 brids," so-called, which are remarkable for tlieir vivid blotches 

 and their peculiar shape ; both of which characteristics are de- 

 rived from the species under consideration. 



G. purpureo-attratus seldom seeds from the influence of its 

 own pollen ; such, at least, is my experience, for though I 

 grow a great many every year in one mass, from the seed of 

 which I have raised many hundred plants, I have never had 

 but two seedlings whicli did not show the influence of the 

 Gandavensis varieties growing near them. This species forms 

 a great many bulblets which lie a little way from the old corm, 

 to which they are joined by short connectives. They have a 

 thinner coating than those of the Gandavensis sorts and start 

 into growth more readily. This is the hardiest of the African 

 species. I have known it to come up for several years 

 among the grass in a mowing-field. 



G. floribundus. — This is a very pretty low-growing kind, 

 bearing from ten to twenty blush-white flowers on a stem 

 about eighteen inches high. These are never fully open as 

 we are accustomed to see Gladioli, but retain a half-closed ap- 

 pearance. They are usually somewhat crisped along the edges. 

 G. cardinalis. — A very brilliant scarlet and white species of 

 low stature and great beauty. The bulbs of this, as well as of 

 the hybrids of which it is a parent, viz., G. Cohnllei, j-amosus, 

 piidibundiis, candidnsand incai-nafiis,w\\\ not endure being kept 

 long out of the ground ; at the same time, if left in the soil late 

 in the summer they will make an autumnal growth to which 

 the winter will be fatal ; they ought, therefore, to be lifted a 

 month after flowering and replanted in October either in a 

 frame or in a raised bed of earth with a thick covering of 

 leaves. 



G. a- lie' nt us. — This is a magnificent species from Natal. Its 

 manner of growth is very peculiar, for, while manv kinds 

 may l>e put into the ground on their sides or tops, as well as 

 on their bases, the shoots arising perpendicularly from the 

 soil, the shoots of this species appear to grow straight away 

 from the centre of the corm and hence enter the air at all an- 

 gles. The foliage is drooping, unlike any other kind, while 

 the bulb is dissimilar to all others, being bright yellow, almost 

 globular and scantily covered with a very thin papery husk. 

 The flowers, though few, are very showy, deep crimson with 

 an irregular band of white across the three lower segments. 

 They are four and sometimes five inches across. 



G. criientus has one bad fault ; it is a very late bloomer. 

 This can be offset by early planting by those who can plant 

 when they please. 



G. psitlaciinis. — A peculiar and not very showy species. It 

 has short, rigid foliage and flower-stalks about two feet high. 

 The flowers are yellow, thickly dotted and lined mahogany 

 red; throat yellow. The flowers are narrow and appear to 

 only half open. Seedlings from this vary somewhat, though 

 unmixed with any other kind. Among twenty raised from 

 pure seed there are six which differ considerably from their 

 parent, though plainly G. psiitacinus, and nothing else. One 

 or two of these are very handsome. This species and the 

 next increase more rapidly, both by bulblets and by growth 

 from the buds of the old corm, than any others I have seen; 

 unhappily, they are the least desirable. 



G. dracoccphaliis. — A very tall species (four and one-half or 

 five feet), with a spike of narrow, inconspicuous flowers, 

 green, spotted and grained with dull red. This, on my grounds, 

 never has perfect anthers, and I have never been able to get a 

 grain of pollen. 



G. Saundcrsii. — This very beautiful species is offered for 

 sale by nearly every dealer, and is, presumably, better known 

 than most others. Its foliage is short and ciuite glaucous; the 

 flower-stem not high and its flowers large and very showy, 

 being scarlet mottled on the lower half with white ; their 

 form, also, is very elegant. Taken for all in all, this is one of 

 the verv best species. 



The following being small in bulb and plant and flower, 

 will give most satisfaction as pot plants. They should be 

 grown in four or five inch pots in light, rich soil, and 

 should, for the most part, be potted in late autumn. 



G. tristis. — Like very many of the African species, this has 

 narrow, almost rush-like foliage. I have been most pleased 

 with this plant when I have potted the bulbs in autumn and 

 kept them through the winter in the green-house, though like 

 many, perhaps all, of the tender species, it may be success- 

 fully carried through out-of-doors if deeply planted in a dry 

 soil and well covered with leaves. With me it blossoms in 

 April, the flowers being four or five, comparatively large, of a 

 light creamy tint, sprinkled with small dark spots, and 

 strongly fragrant from dusk to dawn. How excellently 

 adapted to insect fertilization ! How plain that it is fecundated 

 by some nocturnal moth allured by the large light flowers, 

 whose powerful fragrance exists only during the hours of 

 darkness ! Unhappily for the theorists, who know so well 

 why fragrance was given to flo^^•ers, however. Gladiolus i?-istis 

 is perfectly self-fertilizing. It does not depend upon noctur- 

 nal or diurnal insects, but every blossom, even when pro- 

 tected from insect visits by gauze, will form a capsule of per- 

 fect seed. From such I have raised scores of seedlings. It 

 is to me evident that perfume is not always (even if ever) 

 provided to insure fertilization by means of insects. 



G. reciirvus, called also G. ringens, is best treated like G. 

 tristis, as it is a weakly-growing kind. Its flowers, though few, 

 are very pretty, being of a shade of lilac approaching blue, 

 with a whitish throat. 



G. gracilis. — A slender plant, with two or three lilac and 

 black flowers. Though apparently hardier than many sorts, it 

 is too delicate for the open ground. 



G. cuspidatus. — Another rush-leaved kind, with flowers of a 

 singular shape. Their segments are very long, narrow and 

 twisted. Color, creamy white, blotched with purple and 

 yellow. 



G. villosiis. — I received this three years ago and have been 

 very unsuccessful with it, having seen, so far, but one flower. 

 This was borne on a stalk ten inches high and was of a pink- 

 ish color. Tlie entire plant is covered with short, fine hairs. 

 Hence its name. This is not the G. hirsutus of Jacquin, but of 

 Ker. 



G. Millcri is a pretty species of small stature, with light yel- 

 low flowers. 



G. alatus. — I have tried this species many times, but all 

 in vain ; it will not flower nor can I keep it. The bulb starts 

 readily enough and so does the seed when obtainable. I have 

 now over a hundred seedlings three years old and no larger 

 than a grain of rice. If we may trust the published figures, 

 this is one of the most beautiful species. Its colors are scar- 

 let, yellow and orange. 



G. siilphureus, considered by some to be a variety of Babi- 

 ana stricta, is a small species, but robust enough to maintain 

 itself in tlie open ground. Flowers few% yellow, but of a 

 deeper shade than the name implies. 



G. Watsoniiis. — This is called by Baker a species of Hoino- 

 glosstun, a genus not admitted by Bentham and Hooker. I 

 have had it only during the present season. In April I re- 

 ceived fifty bulbs of it from the Cape of Good Hope, some of 

 which I found had started into growth. I potted them and 

 they bloomed in June. The foliage is plaited in four strong 



