THE GLADIOLUS. 



575 



et bientot une grande partie de l'edition est sa propriete. C'est 

 done a lui qu'on en doit la dispersion " &c. 



" Ch. Lemaire." 



Dean Herbert, writing in the Journal of our own Royal 

 Horticultural Society in the year 1847, vol. ii. page 89, says : — 

 " The showy G. natalensis (called also psittacinus) of the Natal 

 country, which endures more frost than any of the southern 

 Gladioli, though it suffers much from July rains in many positions, 

 has been freely crossed by myself, by Mr. Belfield, by Mr, 

 Bidwill, and by cultivators on the Continent, with G.oppositiflorus, 

 a Madagascar plant, found, perhaps, also in Kaffraria, and often 

 improperly called in shops floribundus — an old name for a very 

 different plant. The cross named G. Gandavi (for the adjective 

 name Gandavensis to a garden cross is very objectionable) has 

 been figured in the beautiful Ghent periodical work of M. van 

 Houtte. It is there stated most erroneously to have been raised 

 between G. natalensis and cardinalis. It flowered in Ghent for 

 the first time in Europe, the soil and climate being more con- 

 genial to Gladioli there than at Spofforth and in the west of 

 England, but some of the seedlings raised in Devonshire and 

 taken to Sydney had flowered earlier." 



To these two extracts Mr. J. G. Baker, F.R.S., says : — " All 

 that I can add is, that you find nine-tenths of G. gandavensis and 

 brenclileyensis ready to your hand in G. psittacinus (natalensis), 

 and I think the other tenth is much more likely to have come out 

 of G. cardinalis than out of G. oppositiflorus. It is not unlikely 

 that the white varieties of G. gandavensis may be hybrids between 

 G. psittacinus and oppositiflorus. Since 1847 G. opposiiifionts 

 lias been refound in Kaffraria, not in Madagascar, and I expect 

 Madagascar was a mistake. 



u J. G. Baker. 



" Kew, Oct 16, 1890." 



