Gladiolus dalenii

Gladiolus leichtlinii, Baker. Corm large and globose: st. about 2 ft. tall, terete: lvs. about 4, ensiform, 1 ft. long: fls. 6-8, large, in a somewhat dense 1-sided spike, bright red, with a curved tube 1J4 in. long; upper segms. obovate and connivent, equaling the tube, 3 lower ones much smaller and acute, spreading, red at tip but yellow and minutely red-dotted below; stamens snorter than upper segms. Transvaal.

Gladiolus primulinus, Baker. Very like No. 18 (with which Baker subsequently united it), but differs in the yellow color: conn globose, 1 in. and more diam.: lvs. about 3, ensiform,1 ½ ft. long and to 1 in. broad: fls. 3-5, in a lax secund spike, clear primrose-yellow throughout; tube 1 in. long, much curved above; 3 upper segms. ovate or obovate, acuminate, hooded, 2 in. long and more than 1 in. wide, the central one covering the stamens and stigmas; 3 lower segms. deflexed and much smaller; style exceeding the stamens. Trop. Afr., occurring in the rain-forests. B.M. 8080. G.C. III. 36:191; 42:291. R.H. 1908, p. 9.—A handsome species, and although not discovered until 1887 and flowered under cult, in 1890, it is now much used as a parent in breeding. Several varieties are offered, as var. maculatus, lemoine, with fls. large, chrome-yellow, the inner surface of the reflexed segms. bearing a maroon- red spot. Var. salmoneus, lemoine, with fls. saffron or salmon-color outside, the interior bright chrome- yellow, with fine purple lines. Var. major, lemoine, large-fld., said to be a cross of G. primulinus and yellow G. lemoinei: fls. chrome-sulfur-yellow with light brown marks on the interior of the segms.: plant strong. Var. erectus, Lemoine. Erect, with large scarcely hooded chrome-yellow maroon-spotted fls. Var. concolor, lemoine. Fls. large, 2 of the segms. sulfur-yellow and the remainder naples-yellow.