Gladiolus × colvillei
| Scarlet Gladiolus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Iridaceae |
| Genus: | Gladiolus |
| Species: | G. colvillei |
| Binomial name | |
| Gladiolus × colvillei | |
Gladiolus × colvillei Sweet is a hybrid Gladiolus cultivar. Common name: Scarlet Gladiolus.
The original Gladiolus × colvillei was bred by the nurseryman James Colville of Chelsea, London from the southern African species G. tristis and G. cardinalis and first described in 1823; it is still cultivated.[1] It has deep pink flowers with a cream stripe on each of the lower three tepals.
In 1826 James Colville put on sale a white form with pale pink anthers known as G. colvillei alba. In 1871, a completely white sport with the same parentage was described: G. colvillei 'The Bride'. This cultivar is still available commercially today under the same name.
The Colvillei group of Gladiolus now includes many small (to about 40 cm tall) spring-flowering cultivars with flowers from white to pink or orange-red. Some are likely to have other southern African species such as G. carneus in their ancestry.[2]