IRIS FAMILY 



GLADIOLUS 



Gladiolus. 



Gladiolus, Latin, a dagger; in allusion to the shape of the leaves. 



A genus of about one hundred and thirty species of perennial herbs, 

 natives chiefly of the Cape and tropical Africa; only fifteen species 

 being known in Europe and western Asia. 



Roots. — Cormous. 



Leaves. — Sword-shaped or linear. 



Flowers. — Borne in a two-ranked spike on a tall scape. 



Pmo«//}-to6e.— Funnel-shaped, six-parted, somewhat two-lipped; 

 tube short and segments unequal. 



Stamens.— Three, inserted on the perianth-tube. 



Ovary.— Oval, three-celled; style thread-like, with three-parted 

 stigma. 



Capsule. — Three-celled, containing many seeds. 



Gladiolus as we know it to-day, is a triumph of the gardener's 

 art. Its forebears are the native Gladioli that were brought into 

 Europe from southern Africa about the middle of the eighteenth 

 century. Some twelve different species were at first under culti- 

 vation by the Belgian, Dutch, and French growers. A fortunate 

 crossing of two species, believed to be Gladiolus cardindlis and 

 Gladiolus fsittaclnus, by the gardener of the Duke of Arenburg 

 produced the hybrid known as Gladiolus gandavensis, the Ghent 

 Gladiolus. The famous house of Van Houtte took up the plant 

 and introduced it in 184 1 into the wider gardening world. Im- 

 mediately the work of variation and hybridization began, with 

 the result that there were established several distinct strains of 

 great beauty and virility. To-day, the number of varieties is 

 legion though botanically the genus is utterly confused. How- 

 ever, since the gardener's ideal has been large flowers, rich and 

 varied colors, long full spikes, the structure of the blossom has not 

 been materially interfered with. As the perianth segments open 

 we find three stamens with long anthers standing together, near the 

 middle upper segment. With them is the long style, but its stig- 



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