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.

Gladiolus psittacinus, Hook. (G. natalensis, Reinw. Watsonia natalensis, Eckl.). Corm very large, flattened- globose: st. 3 ft. or more, stout: lvs. about 4, rather rigid, 1-2 ft. long and 1-2 in. broad: fls. many and large, with a curved tube nearly or quite 2 in. long, in general effect rich yellow but thickly grained and overlaid with red (particularly about the margins of the segms.); upper segms. obovate and hooded, dark crimson, the lower much smaller and reflexing, red and yellow mixed. S. Afr., away from the coast. B.M. 3032. B.R. 1442. L. B. C. 18:1756.—One of the leading parents of garden gladioli.