Gladiolus Breeding by Chandrashekar
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GLADIOLUS BREEDING Introduction The name gladiolus derived from the Latin word, means a sword, on account of the sword like shape of the foliage given by Pliny the Elder (A.D. 23-79) The other name is 'sword lily’ 'Corn flag' is another common name in Europe because Gladiolus Illyricum is found wild as weed in the corn-fields Gladiolus primulinus is also known as 'waterfall gladiolus' as it was found growing near the Victoria Falls in the tropical forests of Africa It was introduced into cultivation towards the end of the 16th century in India, its cultivation dates back to nineteenth century Importance and uses Gladiolus fetches international cut flower trade Because of its magnificent inflorescence it is used in herbaceous borders, beddings, pots and for cut flowers For cut flowers, primulinus types are better as more spikes often come out from a corm and they may be planted in isolated borders Grandiflorus and primulinus types look very attractive in mixed flower borders, but primulinus types are preferred as these do not need staking, and so, are also good for bedding The pixiolas (miniatures like nanus, colvillei, byzantinus, grandis, tristis, etc.) are preferred for forcing under glass or for growing in pots or bowls Uphof -consumed the corms of Gladiolus edulis by roasting in Bassa (Africa) G. quartinianus corms were used as food and as a cooking beverage The flowers of Gladiolus saundersii, G. ecklonii, G. papilio, G. cruentus and G. natalensis are used as salad after nipping off the anthers It was found that the corms contained high amount of carbohydrates mostly as starch (65.4 to 78.61%) and protein (12.6 to 18.5%) Gladiolus crassifolius is used for headache and lumbago (the whole plant is crushed, heated and applied to the affected part) Gladiolus saundersii (cooked corms) mixed with food is effective against diarrhoea The crushed and ground corms of Gladiolus ecklonii are decocted and drunk to get rid of rheumatism and allied pains Origin and history There are around 200 species scattered throughout the world. Large number of them belong to South Africa in the Cape region About 15 species grow only in north of Sahara No species is known to be native to India. Since the days of ancient Greece, the gladioli are said to be cultivated History reveals that it is known since 1578, first introduced into France and soon after spread to England, Germany, Holland and North America No evidence was available on cultivation of any species of gladiolus of South African origin Gladiolus aethiopian was described first by Comutrs, is from Cape region bearing light red-scarlet flowers Around the middle of the 18th century the first South African species were introduced. Gladiolus tristis, a sweet-scented species closely related to G. grandis, was first introduced to UK in 1745 Gladiolus illyricus native to Mediterranean region was later on found growing in England. Gladiolus grandis from South Africa was naturalized in Spain Taxonomy Botanical name Gladiolus L. Family Iridaceae n=15 Lewis et al. (1972) divided the genus Gladiolus into four groups Section I: Eugladiolus - 100 species of Europe, Western Asia, Tropical and South Africa Section II: Habea -12 species of South Africa (Cape Peninsula) and Madagascar Section III: Schweiggeria -2 species from Cape Section IV: Homoglossum -five or six species of South Africa Plurifoliati • It contains 22 species, having 5-8 or more well developed leaves, Distichously(growing in rows) arranged, forming a fan • Ex: Gladiolus cardinalis (Cape), G. sempervirens (Cape), G. cruentus (Natal and Lesotho), G. saundersii (Natal and Lesotho) having red or scarlet colour flower and G. oppositiflorus (Cape) with flowers white or pink.in colour Paucifoliati It contains 34 species, having 2-5 well developed leaves, distichously or spirally arranged, Examples Gladiolus stellatus (Cape) with fragrant, whitish to pale mauve G. gueinzii (Cape and Natal) with pink, marked with purple G. acuminatus (Cape) with fragrant, dull greenish yellow G. lapeirousiodes (Cape) with white, with the flower lobes each bearing 2 red blotches G. leptoszphon (Cape) wirh cream to cream-brown G. vigilans (Cape) with pale rose-pink G. carneus (Cape) with white, cream, pink or mauve G. macneilii (Transvaal) with pale salmon-pink G. microcarpus (Natal) with whitish, pink or mauve colored flowers Unifoliati It contains 29 speicies, having one well developed basal leaf, the following reduced, bract like with short blades, spirally arranged on the scapes Gladiolus brevitubus (Cape) with pale pink or red color G. quadrangulus (Cape) wth fragrant, white to pale blue or pinkish mauve G. citrinus (Cape) with bright yellow G. tenellus (Cape) with fragrant, yellow, cream or white tinged purple G. oreocharis (Cape) with white to mauve G. inflatus (Cape) with pale, pink or mauve G. robertsoniae (Transvaal) with fragrant, mauve or white tinged pale mauve .