Paradisi in sole paradisus terrestris, or, A garden of all sorts of pleasant flowers which our English ayre will permitt to be noursed vp / a kitchen garden of all manner of herbes, rootes & fruites for meate or sauce vsed with vs, and, an orchard of all sorte of fruitbearing trees and shrubbes fit for our land, together with the right orderinge, planting & preseruing of them and their vses & vertues

Chap. XXI.
Gladiolus. Corne Flagge.

Next vnto the Flagges or Flowerdeluces, come the Gladioli or Corne Flagges to bee entreated of, for some resemblance of the leaues with them. There are hereof diuers sorts, some bigger and some lesser, but the chiefest difference is in the colour of the flowers, and one in the order of the flowers. Of them all in their seuerall orders.

Gladiolus narbonensis. The French Corne Flagge.

The French Corne Flagge riseth vp with three or foure broad, long, and stiffe greene leaues, one as it were out of the side of another, being ioyned together at the bottome, somewhat like vnto the leaues of Flowerdeluces, but stiffer, more full of ribbes, and longer then many of them, and sharper pointed: the stalke riseth vp from among the leaues, bearing them on it as it riseth, hauing at the toppe diuers huskes, out of which come the flowers one aboue another, all of them turning and opening themselues one way, which are long and gaping, like vnto the flowers of Foxegloue, a little arched or bunching vp in the middle, of a faire reddish purple colour, with two white spots within the mouth thereof, one on each side, made like vnto a Lozenge that is square and long pointed: after the flowers are past, come vp round heads or seede vessels, wherein is contained reddish flat seede, like vnto the seede of the Fritillaria, but thicker and fuller: the roote is somewhat great, round, flat, and hard, with a shew as if it were netted, hauing another short spongie one vnder it, which when it hath done bearing, and the stalke dry, that the roote may be taken vp, sticketh close to the bottome, but may be easily taken away, hauing vsually a number of small rootes encreased about it, the least whereof will quickly grow, so that if it be suffered any long time in a Garden, it will rather choake and pester it, then be an ornament vnto it.

Gladiolus Italicus binis florum ordinibus. The Italian Corne Flagge.

The Italian Corne Flagge is like vnto the French in roote, leafe, and flower, without any other difference, then that the roote is smaller and browner, the leafe and stalke of a darker colour, and the flowers (being of a little darker colour like the former, and somewhat smaller) stand out on both sides of the stalke.

Gladiolus Byzantinus. Corne Flagge of Constantinople.

This Corne Flagge that came first from Constantinople, is in all things like vnto the French Corne Flagge last described, but that it is larger, both in rootes, leaues, and flowers, and likewise that the Flowers of this, which stand not on both sides, are of a deeper red colour, and flower later, after all the rest are past: the roote hereof being netted as plainly as any of the former, is as plentifull also to giue encrease, but is more tender and lesse able to abide our sharpe cold Winters.

Gladiolus flore rubente. Blush Corne Flagge.

This blush kinde is like vnto the French Corne Flagge in all respects, sauing onely that the flowers are of a pale red colour, tending to whitenesse, which wee vsually call a blush colour.

Gladiolus flore albo. White Corne Flagge.

This white Corne Flagge also differeth not from the last, but onely that the rootes are whiter on the outside, the leaues are greener, without any brownesse or darknesse as in the former, and the flowers are snow white.

Gladiolus purpureus minor. The small purple Corne Flagge.

This also differeth not from any of the former, but onely in the smallnesse both of leafe, stalke, and flowers, which stand all on the one side, like vnto the French kinde, and of the same colour: the roote of this kinde is netted more then any other.