G L A 



specimens. We have this fpecies ifrom M. Farrod's her- 

 barium, gathered wild in Switzerland, fo that it appears to 

 be Halier's n. 1261, the fmaller variety; his larger being 

 probably the following fpecies. There is much difficulty 

 in determining the fynonyms of old authors, their cuts not 

 being correft in thofe parts on which our charafters are 

 founded ; Parkinfon's G. itaUcus, for inftance, Parad. 191. 

 f. 2, has precifely the lower lip of this prefent fpecies, but 

 not the inflorefcence, whilft his f. i . does not fhew the lip fo 

 well as the pofition of the flowers. As however he mentions 

 but two white ftripes in his defcription, fo many only being 

 vifible, as the fegments naturally Hand in our communis, we 

 have httle doubt of his fynonym. The communis of the 

 Linnaean herbarium is our's, and thas winged feeds, fo that 

 we trull this name will remain fixed, as belonghig to the 

 moft common and general fpecies, whatever Linnxus miglit 

 comprehend under it as varieties. 



28. G. fegetum. Ker in Curt. Mag. t. 719. Dryandr. 

 in Ait. Hort. Kew. ed. 2. v. i. 102. (G. communis; Bui- 

 liard. Herb, de la France, t. 8. Sm. Fl. Gric. Sibth. 

 V. I. 27. t. 37, 38. Lamarck lUuflr. t. 32. Touni. t. 190. 

 G. itahcus; Ger. em. 104) — Leaves many-ribbed. Spike 

 one-ranked. Flowers horizontal ; upper fegment diftant ; 

 three lowermoft equal, each with a hnear-lanccolatc bor- 

 dered ftripe. — Native of corn-fields in the fouth of 

 Europe, common in Italy, Greece, and the neighbouring 

 Countries, flowering in the fpring ; hardy, but not frequent 

 in gardens. It is difl;inftly reprefented in the Hortus Eyfte- 

 tenfis, by the name of Victor'ial'is rolmida ; Ord. Ell. 4. 

 t. 10. f. 2, though the other Gladioli of that huge book 

 are lefs precife. This is dillinguifliable from the two lall 

 by the dillance between the uppermoH lobe of its Ihjfoms 

 and the two next, which are pecuharly nan-ow ; while the 

 feeds, according to Mr. Ker, are round, with a fomewhat 

 pulpy coat, not flattened and winged as in the whole of the 

 gemjs befidef, which is a moft material fpecifio dilliniflion, 

 and even forms an exception to one of the generic charafters. 

 Mr. Ker fufpecls the exillence of other European fpecies, 

 ftiU confounded as varieties of thefe, and which may perhaps 

 account for anomalies and incongruities in the figures of 

 authors. Whether t. 38. of Flora Grica may be one of 

 thefe, we mull fubmit to future enquiry. Though fmall, 

 it is faid to be a native of fertile ground ; the three upper 

 fegments feem more approximated, and the three lower 

 ones united by a longer bafe, than in t. 37, our G. fegetum; 

 but this we learn merely from the figure, nor was the artift 

 acquainted with the charafters fubfequently found out in 

 this tribe, fo as to give peculiar authority to wliat he has 

 exprelfed in his drawing. The acquifition of living fpeci- 

 itiens at fome future time can alone fettle the quellion. — It 

 is proper to mention that G.fpicatus of the Linnasan herba- 

 rium, alluded to by Mr. Ker, is a Siberian fpecimen, with 

 very broad lateral fegments to the corolla, and as far as we can 

 judge feems rather to be communis, if not, as is poffible, a 

 fpecies hitherto undefined. It is probably different irom 

 the African plant of Van Royen, intended in Sp. PI. ed. i. 

 nor has it the authentic marks of originality. What might 

 chance to be compared with it in the Bankfian herbarium, 

 when none of the parties prefent had any precife ideas about 

 thefe plants, we cannot anfwer for, but our fpecimen was 

 then voted to be communis. 



29. G. imbricatus. Linn. Sp. PI. 52. Lamarck. Dift. v. 2. 

 723. — Leaves many-ribbed, fpike of numerous, crowded, up- 

 right flowers ; upper fegment rather dillant ; three lowermoll 

 nearly equal. — Gathered by Gerber near Luban in Livonia. 

 His own fpecimen in the Linnsean herbarium is the only one 

 we have feen, nor do recent writers appear to kno«f any thiog 



Vot. XVI. 



G L A 



of this fpeciei, which appears to us very diftiniSl, akin t«* 

 the three lall in leaves and habit ; but differing widely in it» 

 curved afcending^;,^^, and crowded erea_^ii:f;/-/, wliish arc 

 fmaller tlian thofe of G. communis, of a purple or crimfon 

 colour, pervious at the bafe, in confcqucnce of a coufidcr- 

 able dillance between the claws of tiie upper and lateral feg- 

 ments, while their upper parts feem to fold over each other ; 

 but of thefe charafters we cannot, of courfe, fpcak abfo- 

 lutely, from the dried flowers ; the three lowermoll fcgment$ 

 feem equal and rather narrow. No white flripc is difccmible 

 in their prefent condition. The leaves rife above the fpikc 

 of flowers, and have each an oblique point, but this may not 

 be condant. 



Whatever fpecies of Gladiolus (exclufive of fuch as are 

 now referable to the genera Sparaxis, Anomalbeca, Trilonia, 

 IVatfonia, Melafpbjtrula or baliana of Mr. Ker), may be 

 found here and there in authors, we decline defcribing with- 

 out feeing living Ipecimens. The difcordance between fevc- 

 ral of the figures, above quoted for the fame fpecies, prOTCi 

 how variable many of them are, efpecially from accidental 

 circumllances in cultivation. The Botanical Magazine is now- 

 become a faithful and valuable rcpofitory of this family, fo 

 that however botanills may difter about definiiions, the me- 

 mory of the plants can never be entirely loll. 



Gladiolus, in G^n/<r«(«^,comprifes plants of the tuberous- 

 rooted, flowery, perennial kind ; of which the fpecies moftly 

 cultivated are the common fword-lily, or corn-flag (G. com- 

 munis) ; the imbricated flowered gladiole (G. imbricatus) ; 

 the fquare-ftalked gladiole (G. triltis) ; the narrow leaved 

 gladiole (G. angullus) ; and the fuperb fcarlet gladiole (G. 

 cardinahs). 



There are feveral varieties of the firft fpecies, as the Italian 

 and French com flags, with the bluilh,the white, and the finall 

 purple coloured. 



Method of Culture. — In the firll fort and varieties the cul- 

 ture may be readily effefted by planting the off-sets from the 

 old roots in the beginning of the autumn in the places where 

 they are to grow. And the other forts may be raifcd in the 

 fame way as well as by feeds. Thefe fliould be planted in a 

 warm border, and be protefted in the winter by glafs or fome 

 other means, when there is a neceflity for it, as during very 

 fevero weather, &c. 



When increafed by feed it (hguld be fown towards die end 

 of Auguft, in pots filled with hght earth, placing them in a 

 Ihady fituation at firll, but afterwards where they may be 

 expofed to the fun, being protefted during the winter in a 

 hot-bed frame, free air being admitted when the weather is 

 mild. In the fpring the pots fliould be removed to a ihady 

 lituation, with only the morning fun. \^'he^ the ilems de- 

 cay, the roots Ihould be taken up and kept in fand in a dry 

 place till tlie time of planting. In the fccond year's planting 

 tliey iTioiild be put in feparate fmall pots, filled with mould 

 formed from the turf or fward. 



With refpect to tlje old roots they may be taken up every 

 two or three years, to have the off-sets taken off from them, 

 in order to their future increafe. 



All tlie forts afford a fine effcft and variety in the flower 

 borders and other parts among other plants of the flowery 

 kinds, being properly arranged in mixture with them. 



GLADIUS, Sword. Jus Gladii, or right of the ftvtrd, 

 is ufed, in our ancient Latin authors, and in the ^Jorman laws, 

 for fupremc jurifdiftion. 



Camden, in Britannia, writes " Comitatus Flint pcrtinet 

 ad gladium Cellriae :" and Selden, Tit. of Honour, p. 640. 

 " Curiam fuam liberani de omnibus placitis, &c. cxccptis ad 

 gladium ejus pertinentibus." 



And it is probably from hence, tliat at the creatiou of .m 

 O « earl. 



