Bulbous and Tuberous Rooted Plants
A division of the Camden Park catalogues that is not clearly defined. Some of the more important families of the Hortus are included here, Amaryllidaceae, Iridaceae and Liliaceae. It also contains a wide assortment of other plants with a modified stem or root that acts as a storage organ. Such plants are usually deciduous and have a distinct dormancy period. Shrubs and trees are not included, but there is some overlap with herbaceous plants.
Gladiolus dalenii van Ged. var. albicans roseus
White flowers tinged with rose. ‘A variety of the Natalensis “vigorous growing section” very superb, erect growers, and have very long spikes of showy blossoms.’ [FC p.53/1852]. It was described as blush, crimson-striped in an advertisement for Bass and Brown, Nurserymen. [GC p.67/1854]. Probably a hybrid.
Gladiolus dalenii van Geel
A variable, robust cormous perennial, spreading by underground runners, it bears one-sided spikes of hooded, funnel-shaped red, orange or yellow flowers, sometimes spotted with green or brown, in summer. To 1.5m. [RHSE, Hortus].
Gladiolus dalenii x unspecified
Gladiolus dalenii hybrids, the second parent unspecified. No description is extant.
Gladiolus debilis Ker-Gawl.
Half-hardy cormous perennial with up to 4, narrow, linear leaves, and unbranched flowering stems to 65cm long, with up to 4, small, trumpet-shaped flowers, white or pale pink, with red markings on the lower segments, differing from most of the genus in that all the petals are uniform, spreading open like ixias. [RHSD, Hortus, CECB].
Gladiolus floribundus Jacq.
A free-flowering species with up to 7, sword-shaped leaves, to 40cm long, and flower spikes to 45cm, with usually 3-8 blooms per spike. The large flowers are white or pale pink with a bright pink stripe in each petal, in spring. [RHSD, CECB].
Gladiolus floribundus x alatus
Gladiolus floribundus x Gladiolus alatus hybrid. No description is extant.
Gladiolus gracilis Jacq.
Fully-hardy cormous perennial with up to 4 leaves, typically as long as the stem, and a lax flower spike, to 75cm, bearing up to 5, scented, broadly funnel-shaped, pale bluish-lilac flowers in spring, the lower petals spotted and streaked with black. [RHSD, Hortus, CECB].
Gladiolus hirsutus Jacq.
A variable cormous perennial, the leaves often fairly short, flowers in 3-6-flowered spike, whitish or pink to purple, streaked on the lower lobes with a darker colour. To 50cm. [RHSD, Hortus, CECB].
Gladiolus imbricatus L. var. crispiflorus
The type species, Gladiolus imbricatus is fully-hardy and has loose spikes of 4-12 funnel-shaped, pinkish-red to reddish-purple flowers, produced in late spring. Crispiflorus has smaller segments, crinkled at the margins. To 80cm. [RHSD, Grey].
Gladiolus italicus Mill.
Frost-hardy cormous perennial with narrowly funnel-shaped, purplish-pink to magenta flowers with paler marks on the lips in early summer. To 60cm. [RHSE, Hortus].
Gladiolus italicus Mill. var. caucasicus
See Gladiolus italicus Mill. for a description. This is a variable plant and Macarthur’s caucasicus was probably distinctly different in flower colour or growth habit from the plant he grew as Gladiolus segetum. According to Paxton’s Dictionary its flowers were pink and it only grew to 30cm. The generally accepted name of this plant is now Gladiolus italicus.
Gladiolus liliaceus Houtt.
A variable cormous perennial which bears only three, very long, narrow leaves to each shoot, with stems of 1-6 brown to russet to pink flowers, with pink, red or purple specks. The flowers change to a blue colour after sunset and back to yellow as the sun rises. Intensely fragrant in the evening. To 70cm. [RHSD, CECB, Hortus]. Rarely cultivated now.
Gladiolus oppositiflorus Herb.
Half-hardy gladiolus with up to 8 leaves to 1m long, forming a fan, and spikes, up to 1.5m, bearing up to 35, sub-erect, funnel-shaped white or pale to deep pink flowers, to 10cm long, with a lilac-mauve keel and veins, borne alternately on the stem, in late summer. [RHSD, Hortus, Grey].
Gladiolus orchidiflorus Andr.
A cormous perennial with up to 8, linear sword-shaped, grass-like leaves, to 40cm, and a longer stem, sometimes branched, bearing a lax spike of up to 12 medium-sized, very fragrant, greenish-grey flowers with dark stripes, in summer. [RHSD, Hortus, CECB].
