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which nearly joins two crimson lines which proceed to the
base, and there become connected: two inner elliptically
ovate, also marked with an open compass-shaped red mark,
below this are two red marks also, running down the centre
of the segment, and extending nearly to the edge at the
upper part, which gives the appearance of a heart, and between
the stripe and the edge they are slightly stained,
which gives a faint idea of a feather: two outer lower ones
very large and spreading, elliptically inclining to ovate, the
points somewhat reflexed, and becoming in a day or two
slightly undulate; those are also marked with two red lines,
from a little below the middle to the bottom, the upper line
shortest: lower segment obovately ovate, spoon-shaped, hollow,
broad at the point, becoming a little undulate at last.
Stamens 3, slightly ascending, shorter than the style : anthers
linear: po//e« straw-coloured. Style white. Stigma 3-cleft:
the segments very slender at the base, but dilated at the
ends. . • . u
in the plant when growing the leaves are all rigid and straight, those
with their tops bent down in our figure, is so done, to show the length and
form o f the leaf; the hollow spoon-shaped, ascending, lower segment ot
the flower, appears to distinguish the present from every other species;
there are several with somewhat simitar foliage, figured in Jacquin’s Icones,
but all with very different flowers ; the one figured in the forty-second
volume of the Botanical Magazine, fig. 2585, under the name of G. debi-
lis, is the nearest related to the present one, of any we have seen, but the
segments of the flower are all broadly ovate and acute, (oval it says in description),
the outer segment of the three upper ones is as large as the lower
o n e ; in ours it is the least in the flower, and cuneate; the two next in
ours are elliptic, a little inclining to ovate, and marked as described above;
all ours are obtuse, and some, particularly the lower one, emargiiiate when
first expanded : in the other, the two upper ones are ovate, inarked at the
base with a three-lobed carmine spot, according to the description, but it
would he difficult to make out the three lobes in the figure; the two lower
side ones in this are very broad and flatly spreading; the lower one also
spreading, hut a little smaller; all of a snowy white, with no spots or
marks : in ours the two outer lower ones are elongated, elliptical, scarcely
inclining to ovate, and marked with lines as mentioned ab o v e ; the front
one of ours is almost horizontal, or ascending a little, hollow and spoonshaped,
from which our specific name is derived; the leaves in both are
very narrow, and both strongly nerved ; in ours they are erect and rigid ;
in the other by the figure, they appear weak and flaccid; the flowers of
both are of a snowy white, except the coloured marks on some of the segments.
. , xv
The plant from which our figure was taken, we received from Mr.
H . B . Page, Botanic Garden, Southampton, on the lOlh day o f March
last, who informs us that he received it from the Cape two years since.
The g e n e r i c name is derived from Gladiolus, a small sword, a dagger,
or poniard, from the shape of the leaves of several species of this genus.
1 . T h e 3 Stamens. 2. S ty le , terminated by 3 slend er Stigmas, dilated at the points.
1? u.|