558 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL .SOCIETY. 



Mirabeau (1887), dwarf and strong spike, erect flowers, sulphur- 

 yellow; and Pactole (1888), the deepest yellow, with black 

 spots. 



Bosij and Carmine. — W. E. Gumbleton (1883), a tall spike 

 of large round flowers, carmine, with violet spots ; Voltaire 

 (1885), a fine rosy violet flower with purple and yellow spots; 

 Beaurepaire (1889), very large flowers, bright rose, with purple 

 spots. 



Salmon and Brick -coloured. — Lamartine (1885), Dugues- 

 clin (1888), Lamarck (1888), Ferdinand Bergman (1889), very 

 large flowers, carried on tall spikes of various shapes and 

 markings. 



Bed. — Masque-de-fer (1888), dull red flow T er, with two 

 entirely black lower segments, very peculiar appearance ; Bossuet 

 (1885), large blooms of a bright scarlet ; Marquis de Saporta 

 (188G), cinnabar-red, with yellow and purple spots; Vesuve(1886), 

 velvety dark red ; John Laing (1889), an enormous flower of 

 perfect shape and substance, vermilion, with purple spots. 



Purple.— Gambetta (1884), a tall, erect spike, violet-purple; 

 M. Leveque (1888), a perfect shape, the darkest crimson. 



Violet. — Emile Galle (1887), large violet flowers with darker 

 spots. 



As may be seen from the above descriptions, almost every 

 colour is to be found in the different varieties, which together 

 form a quite distinct and separate group, for they all have such 

 an evident appearance of consanguinity, which the variation in 

 their colours is unable to conceal, as to make a strong impression 

 on anyone who has the opportunity of seeing them exhibited 

 side by side with a collection of the Gandavensis group. In the 

 latter group one wonders at the soft shades and delicate hues, 

 the predominance of pink and rosy colours, the stately appear- 

 ance of their high, well-furnished spikes, and one moves back 

 some steps the better to see and to appreciate the general effect 

 of the wdiole exhibit. When looking at Lemoine's Gladioli one 

 is struck with amazement at the contrast of colours ; for here, 

 in almost every variety, let it be white or yellow, pink or red, 

 you will observe a very dark and striking blotch, surrounded 

 with a yellow space, which is the distinctive mark of the whole 

 race. To be able to judge them you must come nearer and 

 look at the oddness of the markings in almost every individual 



