Origin and Characteristics of 
the Modern Gladiolus 
Many of the modern gladiolus are being produced in America but some of 
the finest varieties are coming from Australia and New Zealand. In those countries 
glads are not used extensively for cut flowers in a commercial way. They grow 
them mostly for exhibition purposes. Hence their varieties are mostly of the ex¬ 
hibition type. The flowers are from medium to 
medium large in size well placed and closely 
set on the stem with many open at a time. 
Color is not nearly so important as it is in this 
country. Hence many of the varieties are not 
really beautiful though of course some of them 
are. Their chief desire is to get new varieties 
with at least ten or twelve blooms open at a 
time all having good placement. One fault of 
their varieties is that many of them have a 
rather stubby spike. They will open up ten or 
twelve at a time but do not have the long 
tapering spike with several more buds on it 
above the open flowers such as we like. Of 
course they aren’t all like this and good cul¬ 
ture will usually make a longer spike but a 
good many of their varieties under ordinary 
culture do have that stubby effect. Some of 
the best of their varieties up to the last year or 
two have been Marmora, Nerissa, Cassandra, 
Nyora, Mrs. Errey and Edith Robson. 
Quite recently a grower in New Zealand 
has secured a real break and produced some 
varieties that are so enormously large that 
they are really in a separate classification. 
Some of his blooms are 8-9 inches across on 
enormous spikes. Others have produced some 
extremely large ones also all of which are the 
forerunners of almost a new race of glads. The 
colors of these varieties are not of the very best 
yet, though they are good. No doubt some 
wonderfully fine things will come from these 
varieties in the near future. The best known 
of these varieties at present are Miss New Zealand and Takina. 
Germany has been producing some of the very best varieties of glads for many 
years. Mr. Pfitzer of that country is the leading hybridizer there. He has produced 
exceptionally fine things in a number of different colors but he is especially strong 
in blue, white and red. Some of these are of the exhibition type but more of them 
are of the decorative and commercial classification. His colors are especially good. 
Flowers are mostly large and all in all his varieties are among the very best on the 
market today. Typical of his are Blue Danube, Ave Maria, Wurtembergia, Maid 
of Orleans, Mammoth White and Gate of Heaven. 
In Scotland, Mair has been producing some wonderfully fine exhibition 
varieties for many years. The colors of many of his are weird and grotesque though 
10 
Picardy 
