Bulbous and Tuberous Rooted Plants

Gethylus species unidentified

An unidentified species of Gethylus or related genus.  Gethylus is a genus of about 32 species of deciduous, bulbous perennials from southern Africa.  Summer flowering, the flowers are usually quite simple, cream or pale to deep pink, usually scented, with a long, cylindrical, slender perianth tube and 6 spreading tepals, narrowly to broadly lanceolate.  The flowers are usually followed by the strap-shaped leaves which are often spiralling.  [CECB].

The illustration used here is Gethyllus spiralis (Thunb.) Thunb.

Gladiolus 'Rex Rubrorum'

Probably a hybrid and described under new varieties of gladiolus in the Floricultural Cabinet as ‘well expanded, dark crimson.’  [FC p.257/1851].  An advertisement for Bass and Brown, nurserymen, described it as rich dark velvet crimson, finest form, an early variety.  [GC p.674/1853].

Gladiolus ‘Albert’

Camden Park hybrid.  Gladiolus x colvilli x Gladiolus x gandavensis hybrid.  Hybrid no.2 of a cross between Gladiolus x colvilli and G. gandavensis.  ‘Flowered first time in early 1846.  Large well shaped flowers, colour crimson scarlet with dark crimson blotches on the lower lobes.  Robust branching scape, 3-4 feet high with numerous flowers.  Not equal to “Hero” but very handsome.’  Fairly productive, by 1848 it had produced 7 large roots and 40 offsets.  [MP A2948-5].  It was referred to by Emily Macarthur in a letter to William, probably November 1848: ‘The gladiolus bed is thriving – “Priam” very handsome, “Prince of Orange” and “Albert” open – the latter comes next in beauty to “Priam”.’

Gladiolus ‘Blakii’

Camden Park hybrid.  Gladiolus x colvilli x (Gladiolus x colvilli x G. carneus).  Bidwill described Blakii as ‘a fine dark pink with dark red spots, a very large flower – good shape’, in a letter to Edward Macarthur Bowman, 22nd November, 1844.  [MP A4297 p.23]. 

Gladiolus ‘Brilliant’

Camden Park hybrid. (Gladiolus cardinalis x G. tristis) x Gladiolus x gandavensis hybrid.  ‘No.10.  Brilliant.  Card. trist. Gandavensis (No.22).  Robust scape large flowers 3½ - 4 in., petals too thin and rather pointed.  Colour brilliant red between(?) scarlet, pink [word indistinct] with a white stripe in centre of each upper lobe, and a little purple and [word indistinct] on lower lobes.  If the petals had not been so thin this would have been a very fine flower.  1848 3 large roots 10 offsets.’  ‘Brilliant’ was not listed in the catalogues.

Gladiolus ‘Diomede’

Camden Park hybrid.  Gladiolus x colvilli x Gladiolus x gandavensis hybrid.  Hybrid no.11 of a cross between Gladiolus x colvilli and G. gandavensis.  ‘No.11.  Diomede.  Colvillo Gandavensis (No.14).  Robust scape, large well shaped flowers, crimson rose like ‘Hero’ with purple blotches on lower lobes.  Good.  1848.  2 large 12 offsets.’  [MP A2948-5].  

Gladiolus ‘Gallus’

Camden Park hybrid. (Gladiolus cardinalis x G. tristis) x Gladiolus x gandavensis hybrid.  Hybrid No.11 of this cross.   ‘Flowered first time November and December 22nd, 1847, called now ‘Gallus’.  Flower very large and well shaped, colour orange scarlet, very brilliant with large purple and brown blotches on the lower lobes.  Robust scape with numerous flowers.  Very handsome.’  By 1848 this seedling had produced 1 large root and 8 offshoots.  Described in Macarthur’s notebook no.5 primarily in an entry dated December 23rd, 1847.  [MP A2948-5].  

Gladiolus ‘Harlequin’

There is no description of ‘Harlequin’ in Macarthur’s notebooks and the parents are unknown.  

Gladiolus ‘Hero’

Camden Park hybrid.  Gladiolus x colvilli x Gladiolus x gandavensis hybrid.  Described in William Macarthur’s note books, in an entry dated December 23rd, 1847, as G. Colvilli-gandavensis no.1, that is hybrid no.1 of a cross between Gladiolus x colvilli x G. gandavensis.  ‘Flowered first time early 1846.  Large, handsomely shaped with [next word not clear] developed flowers, colour rich crimson scarlet with purple crimson spots on the lower lobes.  Robust, branching scape, 3-4 feet high, numerous flowers.  Very handsome.’  By 1848 it had produced 3 large roots and 16 offsets.  [MP A2948-5].

Gladiolus ‘Imaculata’

Unidentified Gladiolus.  Probably a hybrid but if so it is a very early one.  We can hypothesise that ‘Imaculata’ is a misspelling of ‘Immaculata’, meaning without spots.  Perhaps this indicates a fully self-coloured flower, which would have been unusual at this time.

Gladiolus ‘Isabella’

Camden Park hybrid.  (Gladiolus carneus x G. colvilli) x Gladiolus x colvilli hybrid.  Bidwill described it to Edward Macarthur Bowman: ‘The only other one we named is a very singular Blandus-colvilli, tall and strong its flowers will [word indistinct, probably look] almost exactly like Blandus (most of this cross are dark) except that it has a bright red spot in the lower petals.  This we have called Isabella.  There are a great many others but they are not sufficiently distinct to name.’  [MP A4297 p.23].

Gladiolus ‘Mary’

Raised in England by John Bidwill before coming to Australia and only listed in the catalogues in 1843.  No description is extant but it was certainly a gandavensis hybrid.  It was probably lost quite early and does not appear to have been used for hybridising in Australia.  

Gladiolus ‘Numa’

Probably a hybrid but of unknown parentage. Bred by William Herbert. John Bidwill described it in a letter to Edward Macarthur Bowman, dated 22nd November, 1844: ‘Several of Mr. Herbert’s [gladioli] flowered while I was at Camden, one called ‘Numa’ is a splendid pink flower with spots.  It measured across without flattening the petals 4 inches by 3.’  [MP A4297 p.24].

Gladiolus ‘Pictus’

Camden Park hybrid.  Gladiolus cardinalis x Gladiolus x gandavensis hybrid.  Described in Macarthur’s notebook as hybrid no.14.  ‘Slender scape with flowers of good size and shape, colour pink-red striped upon a pale yellow ground, turning afterwards to white, with fine [word indistinct] pencilling, deep carmine blotches upon the lower lobes.’  [MP A2948-5].  In notebook #4 Macarthur described this plant under the name ‘Picta’: ‘No.14. Picta.  Rather slender scape, flowers [word indistinct] and form pink striped upon yellow ground (afterwards white) with fine and [word indistinct] larger pencilled deep carmine blotches on lower lobe.  Very good [word indistinct].’  [MP A2948-4].

Gladiolus ‘Planti’

A hybrid, Gladiolus x colvilli var. x Gladiolus splendens.  John Bidwill referred to it in a letter to Edward Bowman, 26th October, 1844: ‘The scarlet Gladiolus at Camden is Gladiolus Planti, a seedling from Colvilli/Colvilli by Splendens.  It is I imagine a very poor specimen but the colours are good.’  [MP A4297 p.28].