Gladiolus

GLADIOLUS s. (lat. gladius, sword, because its leaves are long, narrow and pointed). Bot. genus of the iridaceae family which includes a great number of species and hybrids sought for the size, the form and the beauty of their flowers. – The cornflag (gladiolus communis) bears beautiful pink flowers. The most beautiful exotic species are: gladiolus cardinalis, with large flowers of a very bright scarlet colour; gladiolus versicolor, with three-coloured flowers: red, yellow and black; gladiolus pulcherrimus, with flowers of a mauvish pink colour, whose lower petals are marked in the center with a white spot circled with azure; gladiolus psittacinus, with yellow flowers spotted with golden brown patches; the Ghent Cornflag (gladiolus Gandavensis), with flowers of a bright vermilion colour showing shades of yellow, amaranthine and green. Hybrid varieties are almost countless.

Extract from the Trousset encyclopedia, 1886 – 1891.