lridacee—Irts. 475 
It is distinguished from the preceding by its dwarf stem and 
early flowers, which appear towards the end of Winter, before 
the leaves are fully developed. It is very hardy and admirably 
adapted for edging beds or borders. 
14. I. tuberodsa.—From Greece and Western Asia. Like 
the last, it was formerly in great request in our gardens, but 
has now also fallen into oblivion. The flowers are rather above 
the medium size, with the three outer segments of a dark 
purple, slightly reflexed and arched; the three interior are 
erect and greenish. ‘This is a very hardy species, flowering a 
little later than the Persian. 
15. I. reticulata. —From the Crimea, differing in more than 
one respect from all the other species here enumerated. Each 
flowering stem bears only two leaves, which are quadrangular 
and longer than the stems. The flowers are solitary, with a 
long tube, giving them the appearance of being pedunculate. 
Their colour is of the brightest purple variegated with mar- 
blings of a darker tint and a large spot of yellow on the outer 
segments, with a delicious odour of violets. This is a very 
hardy and extremely handsome species. 
16. I. scorpiotdes.—An Algerian species, differing from all 
the foregoing in its leaves, which are almost flat and very like 
those of the common Leek. The flower is solitary, of a very 
bright blue, with a yellow spot on each of the outer segments. 
The three interior perianth-segments are small and incon- 
spicuous. It requires slight protection. 
9. GLADIOLUS. 
A very extensive and beautiful genus of hardy and half-hardy 
bulbous plants, a few of which are natives of the South of 
Europe and Asia Minor, but the great majority are from South 
Africa. Plants with corms or bulb-like rhizomes, and erect 
slender leafy stems. Leaves broad and strongly nerved or 
narrow. Flowers spiked or racemose, in some species fragrant, 
displaying almost every shade and tint of colour imaginable, 
Periantb-tube curved, widening upwards, more or lessirregular. 
Stigmas 3, flattened upwards. Named from the Latin gladius, 
a sword, in allusion to the resemblance of the leaves. 
Among the European species frequently seen in old gardens we 
may mention G. commirnis, a pretty quite hardy plant throwing 
up numerous spikes of rose-purple flowers in July. There are 
likewise white and flesh-coloured varieties of this species. G. 
Byzantinus, is a similar plant with larger flowers of a brighter 
