Plants of autumn flower beds: names and photos, legends and beliefs. Gladiolus
prepared by Ekaterina Ziborova
The botanical name of the gladiolus is a skewer, its stem is really similar to a sword blade, and the scarlet inflorescences of some varieties look like drops of blood. The very name "gladiolus" is a Latin word (Gladius). An ancient Roman legend claims that if you hang gladiolus bulbs on your chest like an amulet, they will not only help you win a duel, but also protect you from death.
Among the Romans, gladiolus was considered the flower of gladiators. According to legend, the cruel Roman commander captured the Thracian warriors and ordered them to be turned into gladiators, and the commander ordered the most beautiful, brave, dexterous and loyal friends Sevtus and Teresa to fight each other first, promising that the winner would receive the hand of his daughter and be released to freedom. Many curious townspeople converged to look at this spectacle. However, they did not see what they wanted: when the battle trumpets blew, calling the brave warriors to battle, Sevt and Teres stuck their swords into the ground and rushed to each other with open arms.
The crowd roared indignantly. The trumpets sounded again, demanding a duel, and when the soldiers again did not satisfy the expectations of the bloodthirsty Romans, they were put to death.
But as soon as the bodies of the defeated touched the ground, blooming gladioli grew from the hilts of their swords, which to this day are considered a symbol of friendship, loyalty, memory and nobility.
In the time of Theophrastus, the author of numerous works on plants, gladiolus bulbs were baked in dough and eaten. Onions were added to ground corms and cakes were baked. And Pliny the Elder reported that in his time the roots of gladiolus were also used in medicine.
In Europe, medieval landsknechts, as in ancient Rome, wore gladiolus corms on their chests as amulets, as there was a belief that they had mysterious powers that made a person invincible and protected from injury. It was believed that the magical power of the corms lies in the mesh "armor" - the nerves of the dead covering leaves.
In the XVII - XVIII centuries. the recognition of the gladiolus as a miraculous talisman is replaced by the recognition of its bearer healing properties. So, some types of gladiolus were used as a milk extractor for women, others for toothache.
Many poetic legends and tales have been written about this beloved plant. "Prince Gladius", slender, in his formal clothes, with the most august posture, has long captivated the flower growers of Russia.
Currently, gladiolus is one of the five most common cut flowers. flower crops in the world.
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Anna Saxe. Gladiolus
(from the book "Tales of Flowers")
Among the Thracians taken prisoner, the Roman commander Barbagalo chose the strongest youths Teres and Sevta for himself, ordering the rest to be killed. He took these two handsome men to Rome and gave them to the school of gladiators. Homesickness, pain for lost freedom, humiliation from the position of slaves exhausted the young Thracians, and they asked their gods for only one thing - that death would come to them as soon as possible. But the gods were merciless to them. Days passed, and the young men woke up every morning alive and well, took their swords and went to the exercises.
"Perhaps the gods have other intentions for us," Teres spoke softly to Sevtus one day. “Maybe they want us to learn how to use swords and avenge the dishonor of our people?
“If the gods couldn’t protect our people, what can we do?” Sevtus sighed bitterly.
“Let's ask the goddess of dreams, let her predict what awaits us in the future,” Teres suggested, and Sevt agreed with him.
When, waking up in the morning, Teres told his friend his dream, Sevtus had nothing to add, because they both had the same dreams.
Teres dreamed that he, dressed as a warrior, entered the arena, and Sevtus opposed him with a sword in his hand. Confused, they look at each other, and the crowd roars for the gladiators to start the fight. Not one of them has the strength to raise a sword against a comrade in misfortune, and then a beautiful Roman woman hurries to Teres and says: “Cut it so that you are the winner, then you will receive freedom and my love!” He swings his sword, but at that moment a voice is heard from under the ground: “Listen to what your heart tells you!”.
- You dreamed my dream! Sevtus exclaimed in surprise.
In the evening, when friends were returning from classes, they met two girls. These were the daughters of Barbagalo, Octavia and Leocardia. When Octavia's gaze met Teres's, it felt as if lightning had pierced him and pinned him to the ground. As if petrified, he stood and looked at the beauty, not noticing that Sevt and Leocardia were also looking at each other.
Love is not only blind, it is usually wise and knows how to find ways so that lovers can meet even when there is such an abyss between them as between a conqueror and a slave. Long time Barbagalo did not know that his daughters secretly met with gladiators, until Octavia herself once confessed to him her reckless love for Teres, and soon Leocardia came with exactly the same declaration of love to Sevtus.
Barbagalo, knowing the stubborn nature of his daughters, did not imprison them in a castle and did not forbid short dates with their lovers. He informed them that in the next gladiator fights, Teres and Sevtus would enter the arena against each other, and whoever became the winner would receive freedom. The cunning man hoped that both strong men would fight not for life, but for death, so that not one would remain alive, and the spectacle would be unprecedented.
Soon Barbagalo's hopes began to come true. Octavia urged Teres to win at any cost, because she would give him freedom, and Leocardia Sevta repeated the same thing. The sisters hated each other because each fought for her own happiness, but the happiness of one meant the misfortune of the other. Yes, and the swords of friends now rang sharper and more ruthlessly, as if they were already thirsting for warm blood.
The day of gladiator fights has come. There was no free seat in the amphitheater, and in the front row near the arena itself sat Barbagalo with his two daughters, Octavia and Leocardia.
When Teres and Sevtus entered the arena, dressed in Thracian military costumes, and flashing their raised swords, they exclaimed "The doomed to death greet you!" The crowd roared with delight.
Octavia gave Teres a reassuring look, while Leocardia nodded her head to Sevtus and, pointing at Teres, turned her clenched palm down with her thumb.
The gladiators took up a fighting position and raised their swords. The audience froze, and the hearts of the two girls—two sisters—stopped for a moment.
But just as Teresa's upraised hand was about to pierce Sevtus' chest with his sword, he heard the voice of his heart say:
- Thracian Teres, what will you answer to your motherland if you become the murderer of her son?
The same question was asked by the heart of Sevtus, and they rushed to each other and embraced.
The crowd was indignant and shouted:
Octavia jumped to her feet and exclaimed, "Teres, fight for our happiness!"
With exactly the same words, Leocardia turned to Sevtus.
Then Teres, brandishing his sword, silenced the spectators, and raising his head proudly, said:
“You turned out to be stronger than us and we became prisoners, but you will not be able to turn us into villains. You can kill us, but not win!
Having said this, he stuck his sword into the ground, and Sevtus did the same.
The pitiless crowd of onlookers felt betrayed.
- Of death! Of death! We demand death! they all shouted.
Barbagalo signaled to his warriors to kill the gladiators. When the bodies of Teres and Sevt were carried away from the arena, a miracle happened: the swords stuck in the ground suddenly turned green, buds appeared on them and flowers blossomed.
These flowers are called gladioli.
There are other legends and beliefs about gladioli.
ancient roman legend she assured: if the roots of the gladiolus are hung on the chest, like amulets, they will not only protect against death, but also help to win the duel.
In medieval Europe Landsknechts wore gladiolus corms as amulets, as they believed that they made them invincible and protected from injury. It was believed that the magical power of the corms lies in the mesh "armor" - the rib of the dead covering leaves. Based on this belief, the first German names for gladiolus arose: Siegwurz- "king of victory" and Allermannsharnisch- "armor that protects men." In Europe, these names were used in relation to all wild species Gladiolus communis And Gladiolus palustris.
In the 17th and 18th centuries doctors attributed to gladioli medicinal properties. Corms were advised to be added to milk for infants, used against toothache.
In the year of Halley's comet(1910) the Galley variety appeared on the Dutch markets and was a huge success. For several corms of this variety, they paid up to 4 thousand guilders.
About gladioli
Elena Ulimova
About gladioli
Gladiolus - small sword
legends about gladiolus
“Oh, ancient Rome! Tell us a legend about Gladiolus, all gladiators in flower. «
Gladiolus - sword flower, he is the king of victory, a magnificent duelist. The Romans considered it a flower. gladiators. Name gladiolus comes from the Latin word gladius - "sword". Translated from Latin, gladiolus also means "small sword". IN Ancient Greece gladiolus was called xifion which also means "sword". This name is due to the fact that this plant has straight xiphoid leaves, reaching a length of 80 cm.
Traditionally gladiolus - male flower, reminiscent of chivalry, the real "King of Victory"; believe that this is how the first German name sounded gladiolus. These flowers are rarely given to women, especially young girls, and look good in bouquets intended for business partners, winners and award winners. But still, many women adore these flowers and gladly accept them as a gift.
As the legend goes, gladioli grew from the swords of Thracian warriors captured by the Romans. There was a war between the Romans and the Thracians, and the victory went to the Romans. The cruel Roman commander captured the Thracian warriors and ordered them to be turned into gladiators. Homesickness, pain about lost freedom, humiliation from the position of slaves, bound the two young captives Sevta and Teres with a strong friendship. Wishing to entertain the audience, the cruel commander forced his faithful friends to fight against each other, promising the winner a reward - a return to their homeland. For the sake of freedom, they had to give their lives.
Many curious citizens converged on the military spectacle. When the trumpets blew, calling the brave to battle, then refusing to fight for the amusement of the Romans, Sevt and Teres stuck their swords in the ground and rushed to each other with open arms, ready to die. The crowd roared indignantly. The trumpets sounded again, demanding a duel, but the warriors did not satisfy the expectations of the bloodthirsty Romans. They were put to death. As soon as the bodies of the slain touched the ground, their swords took root and blossomed into tall beautiful flowers. In honor of the noble gladiators they were called gladioli. And until now they are a symbol of friendship, fidelity, nobility and memory.
And in South Africa they tell a different story about the origin gladioli. In the old days, wars were a common thing, and one day enemies raided a small village, hoping to take their opponents by surprise. They captured many, but the elder managed to escape, having previously hidden the main values of the community from the invaders. The beautiful daughter of the elder was tortured for a long time to find out from her where her father was hiding, but she did not say a word to her enemies. Then they decided to execute her in front of all the countrymen, but at the moment when the sword was supposed to touch the girl's neck, the gods turned it into a beautiful flower with purple-red buds. Seeing this miracle, the invaders realized that the gods were condemning them, and hastily left this village, saving the life of the brave girl.
There is another beautiful legend about the strong love of a prince and a beautiful girl. There once lived a prince on earth and his name was Iolus. In his kingdom, the people lived in contentment and joy, because Iolus was a kind and just ruler. Only the young prince was often sad because he could not find his beloved in his kingdom, although he traveled around it from end to end. And then Iolus went to the Magician to find out where his love lives. He told him that in a neighboring kingdom, in a dungeon, with an evil wizard, a beautiful girl named Glad whom he is going to marry. And she would rather die than marry an old, evil wizard.
On the same day, Iolus went in search of his beloved. He came to the Wicked Wizard's castle with a request to teach him magic and was accepted. But for this, the prince had to serve the Evil Wizard and restore order in his castle. Once, when the Evil Wizard was not in the castle, Iolus opened the door of the cherished room and saw in it a girl of unprecedented beauty. They looked at each other and immediately fell in love. Hand in hand, they ran out of the castle. Glad and Iolus were already far away when the Evil Wizard overtook them. And he turned them into a flower, which he placed in his garden. The long stem of the flower resembles a slender Iolus, and the beautiful delicate buds are Glad. Later, people named the flower " Gladiolus“, in honor of the strong love of two hearts that died, but did not want to part.
History gladiolus originates from ancient times, references to it are found in the writings of ancient Roman thinkers. Shamans and healers ascribed magical properties to this flower. An ancient Roman legend tells that if the roots gladiolus hang on the chest, like amulets, they not only protect from death, but also help to win the duel. In medieval Europe, landsknechts wore corms gladiolus as amulets, as they believed that they make them invincible and protect them from injury. It was believed that the magical power of corms lies in the mesh "armor" - the rib of the dead covering leaves.
Before your cultivation gladiolus was not an ornamental plant. At the time of Theophrastus, around 300 BC, it was considered a burdensome crop weed, but its ground bulbs with the addition of flour could be baked into cakes. In the 17th and 18th centuries, physicians attributed medicinal properties of gladiolus. Corms were advised to be added to milk for infants, used against toothache. Currently in gladioli found a large amount of vitamin C. Petals of black and red gladioli are part of some medicinal collections that increase human immunity.
First time popularity gladiolus acquired only in the 18th century, when South African species of these flowers were brought to Europe, which were distinguished by their greater brightness and beauty. And when in 1902 an English engineer brought home an elegant creamy yellow flower found at a waterfall near the Zambezi River - gladiolus in just a few years received the most wide use worldwide. The flowers were so spectacular that they immediately won the love of European flower growers. In 1837 Belgian gardener G. Bedzinghaus brought out the so-called "Ghent gladiolus"(G. gapdavepsis, from which the history of modern gladioli. In the year of Halley's comet (1910) the Galley variety appeared on the Dutch markets, which was a huge success. For several corms of this variety, they paid up to 4 thousand guilders. To date, almost 70,000 varieties are known. gladiolus, and annually about a hundred new ones are registered in international lists!
In the 50s and 60s of the last century gladiolus was on the crest of a wave of popularity in such a flower country as Holland. During this time, Dutch breeders developed many new varieties. Some of them, by the sum of their characteristics, have proven themselves very well and are still popular. (for example, Oscar, Red Ginger and others). Widespread gladioli in England and their popularity in this country is stable. In this country, the first society in history was created gladioli. Now gladiolus one of the five most common cut crops in the world.
Mermaids came out to sing on the shores
About how terribly life joked with them.
And in the moonlight - on the leg foot! —
Kutil Satyr, prankster and bully,
AND gladiolus trumpeting horns
Bloomed all night on the Satyr's head
Gladiolus hardworking and not ambitious. He does not aspire to a leading position and more succeeds under someone else's guidance. Even Gladiolus and having to play the first roles, he quickly realizes that he is better at obeying rather than leading. It is difficult for him to determine the goal on his own, and high achievements are possible thanks to sensitive leadership.
And yet, from time to time, Gladiolus it is difficult to come to terms with second roles, and he tries to rebel and become leaders. The craving for independence and freedom makes him defy fate, and start all over again. Unfortunately, the bad experience does not go in his favor. Revolting again and again Gladiolus makes the same mistakes.
In love Gladiolus is gentle and romantic. He likes to make beautiful gifts and take care of the object of his love. Gladiolus knows how to speak a lot and beautifully, and to charm the other half. But, as at work, so in the family, Gladiolus is in a subordinate position.
Gladiolus corresponds to the first Decade Sagittarius:
The first decade of Sagittarius forms a strong, prudent, but harsh character, distinguished by good fighting qualities - the ability to resist in an open struggle and successfully cope with unforeseen circumstances, but at the same time it is completely unprotected from slander and intrigue.
At heart, a player, Sagittarius of the first decade, seeks to use chances everywhere, is not indifferent to sports, and loves travel. The people of this decade are brave, independent, capable of science. (often have encyclopedic knowledge) and to jurisprudence, and also show an interest in hunting, they can be excellent suppliers and commission agents. Those born on November 23 - 30 have a highly developed feeling dignity. Those born on November 30 - December 1 are distinguished by their beauty and sensuality. Sagittarians of the first decade do not recognize the special subtleties in love, they act simply, but they are able to lose their heads under the influx of strong passion.
As a rule, these are hard workers, they earn money purposefully, but material progress is not easy for them. Over the years, a weakening of financial interests, the development of extravagance and a tendency to gossip about one's neighbor is possible. They are good mentors and have a beneficial effect on the younger generation. In this decade, there is no unity of consciousness and subconsciousness, and this duality manifests itself in life and work, outlining clear periods of luck and failure. Until the age of 36-40 there is no stability in their fate.
Men of this decade need to restrain themselves in relation to sensual pleasures and alcoholic beverages, and it is useful for women to develop their imagination in order to avoid the routine of everyday life.
Photo from personal archive
The teacher's prayer. The teacher's prayer. My dear Angel, I pray, I do not sleep. My path is still unknown. My dear Angel I tell you - Tell me the right path!
Gladioli soar like ballerinas
Graceful, long-legged and slender.
Their inflorescences sail the green
We are carried away into sweet dreams.
K. Stupnitsky
ABOUT I really love gladiolus, despite the fact that the gladiolus, as they say, is a male flower! Something proud, majestic in its upward inflorescence! Until late autumn, they delight us with a riot of colors!
The very name of this flower comes from the word "gladus", which means "sword" in Latin. It is not surprising that in Russia he bears the name "skewer". Staring at the pointed leaves of the gladiolus, one involuntarily recalls the swords of musketeers or swords of gladiators. Actually, the word "gladiolus" means "little sword".
In Italy they tell a story about two gladiator friends.
Many centuries ago, a cruel Roman commander defeated the Thracian army. And in honor of his triumph, he organized magnificent gladiatorial games in which he forced all the prisoners to fight.
By the end of the day, only two warriors remained alive: Sevt and Teres. Their final duel was to cap the celebration. The drama of the spectacle was fueled by the fact that Sevtes and Teres were friends.
With bated breath, the Romans looked at the arena. But when the trumpets sounded, calling for battle, the gladiators, without saying a word, plunged their swords into the ground and rushed to embrace each other!
The audience roared in outrage. The organizers of the games ordered the friends to part, and again the signals were given to start the battle.
The trumpets sounded again, and again the rebellious fighters plunged their swords into the ground. And the same thing happened a third time. Then, in order not to overshadow the holiday, the commander ordered the execution of friends. And at that moment, when their blood fell on the sand, the hilts of the swords, which remained stuck in the ground, were covered with unusual colors.
The Romans called the short sword the gladius. And the flowers that blossomed on the hilts of those swords were called gladiolus.
And until now they are a symbol of friendship, fidelity, nobility and
memory.
Since childhood, I remember the legend
What my grandmother told me -
About two true friends- Thracians,
The commander of the cruel captives.
They were gladiators.
For the amusement of spoiled Romans
They were ordered to fight.
And the reward was the highest:
The winner gets freedom
And a beautiful girl to boot.
Can't wait for the bloody battle
Those who craved "bread and circuses" -
Friends hugged and stuck
Your swords into the damp earth! ..
Dissatisfied with this outcome,
Angry Romans
Tore to pieces the friends of the unfortunate,
And in place of their swords stuck
Gladiolus blossomed...
Parting with you, my love,
Escorting you on a difficult path,
Gladiolus - "little sword"
Symbol of friendship and fidelity,
Nobility and memory symbol
I want to give you.
And let the sword blade
Protects from troubles and misfortunes,
And frozen drops of blood
They talk about my love
And loyalty will be pledged.
L.T.
And in South Africa they tell a different story about the origin of gladioli.
In the old days, wars were a common thing, and one day enemies raided a small village, hoping to take their opponents by surprise.
They captured many, but the elder managed to escape, having previously hidden the main values of the community from the invaders.
The beautiful daughter of the elder was tortured for a long time to find out from her where her father was hiding, but she did not say a word to her enemies. Then they decided to execute her in front of all the countrymen, but at the moment when the sword was supposed to touch the girl's neck, the gods turned it into a beautiful flower with purple-red buds.
Seeing this miracle, the invaders realized that the gods were condemning them, and hastily left this village, saving the life of the brave girl.
There is another beautiful legend about the strong love of a prince and a beautiful girl.
There once lived a prince on earth and his name was Iolus. In his kingdom, the people lived in contentment and joy, because Iolus was a kind and just ruler. Only the young prince was often sad because he could not find his beloved in his kingdom, although he traveled around it from end to end. And then Iolus went to the Magician to find out where his love lives.
He told him that in a neighboring kingdom, in a dungeon, with an evil wizard, a beautiful girl named Glad was languishing, whom he was going to marry. And she would rather die than marry an old, evil wizard.
On the same day, Iolus went in search of his beloved. He came to the castle of the Evil Wizard with a request to teach him magic - and was accepted. But for this, the prince had to serve the Evil Wizard and restore order in his castle.
Once, when the Evil Wizard was not in the castle, Iolus opened the door of the cherished room, saw in it a girl of unprecedented beauty. They looked at each other and immediately fell in love. Hand in hand, they ran out of the castle. G
Lad and Iolus were already far away when the Evil Wizard overtook them. And he turned them into a flower, which he placed in his garden. The long stem of the flower resembles a slender Iolus, and the beautiful delicate buds are Glad.
Later, people named the flower "Gladiolus", in honor of the strong love of two hearts that died, but did not want to part.
In this report, we will look at the origin, history of the emergence, appearance and cultivation of gladioli.
Origin
Gladiolus or skewer - perennial plant of the iris family. Its name comes from the Latin word "gladius", which means "sword". The shape of the leaves of this plant really resemble swords. Its homeland is considered to be South Africa, as well as the Mediterranean coast. In the wild, in addition to these places, it grows in Siberia and Madagascar.
Associated with the origin of gladiolus beautiful sad story. During the war, the Romans captured and captured a detachment of Thracians. Among them were two friends - Sevt and Teres. The commander decided to turn the captives into gladiators and was the first to force these friends to fight among themselves. Each of them refused to fight with a comrade, sticking their swords into the ground. Then the commander ordered to kill Seut and Teres. When their dead bodies fell to the ground, instead of swords, two beautiful flowers appeared in the arena.
Appearance
Gladiolus reaches a height of 50 to 150 cm. It has long straight leaves and a tall inflorescence, on which large funnel-shaped flowers are located. The color and shape of these flowers is very diverse, there are flowers of almost all shades, even green and almost black. Due to this, the plant is widely used to decorate gardens and parks, and is also used for cutting and creating bouquets.
This is a corm plant. Under the ground, it forms modified shoots resembling an onion, in which nutrients are stored for the winter. But, unlike the bulb, they are stored not in the scales, but in the shoot itself.
History
Even before our era, the corms of this plant were eaten by baking them or grinding them into flour. Our ancestors endowed the flower with magical powers. They called him male plant, a plant of warriors. It was believed that you need to wear a corm amulet around your neck, then the warrior will avoid death and will definitely return with a victory.
XVIII gladiolus used in medicine it was believed that it relieves toothache and is a good diuretic.
In ornamental gardening, the flower began to be used after South African species were brought to Europe and hybrids were obtained from them. These plants became the ancestors of gladiolus, from which many of the varieties that are used now have been bred.
cultivation
This flower is not too capricious, but it needs good care. Then it grows well and in middle lane Russia.
- For landing you need to choose an open sunny place, protected from strong winds.
- Such powerful plants need a lot to grow. nutrients, that's why the soil must be well fertilized, otherwise the flowers will be small and the stems weak.
- Plants need to loosen frequently removing weeds.
- Watering gladioli should be plentiful, otherwise the plants will not be able to bloom well.
The hardest part about growing gladiolus is that for the winter, their corms need to be dug up and stored in a cool dark place, but not in the cold. In this case, only large, healthy specimens are selected. And in the spring, after the soil has warmed up, they need to be planted again in a flower bed.
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Today I will tell the legends about the handsome gladiolus. It was revered in ancient Rome.
The name gladiolus comes from the Latin word gladius - "sword" and literally gladiolus is translated as "small sword". Gladiolus is traditionally considered male flower, a reminder of chivalry. These flowers are not customary to give to women, especially young girls. A bouquet of gladioli is intended for presentation to business partners, winners and laureates of awards. But nevertheless, women adore this flower, and gladly accept it as a gift (for example, my mother loves these flowers very much for her birthday - in August we always give her a bouquet of gladioli).
And now gladiolus legends.
According to ancient Roman legend, the gladiolus appeared on earth as follows. There was a war between the Romans and the Thracians. Thracian warriors were captured by a cruel Roman ruler. He gave the order to turn the captives into gladiators. Among the prisoners were two young boys Sevt and Teres, a common misfortune rallied the young people and they became friends. Wanting to entertain the public, the Roman commander ordered his friends to fight against each other, promising the winner to return to their homeland. But the friends stuck their swords into the ground and hugged each other tightly, ready to accept death. The crowd of spectators roared indignantly. And then they were put to death, and as soon as the blood touched the ground, their swords stuck in the ground took root and blossomed, becoming beautiful tall flowers. In honor of the noble gladiators, they received the name - gladioli. And since then, these flowers symbolize nobility, fidelity and strong friendship. That's so sad legend of gladiolus.
There is another, beautiful legend.
Once upon a time there lived on earth a beautiful prince named Iolus. In the kingdom he ruled, the people were happy, because they had a kind and just ruler. But the prince himself from time to time fell into sadness and the reason for this was that he did not have a girlfriend. He turned to a kind wizard with a request to show where his love lives. The wizard responded to his request and said that the same girl lives in a neighboring kingdom, imprisoned by an evil wizard. Her name was Glad and she had to marry an evil wizard on pain of death. Immediately the prince went to rescue his betrothed from captivity. He arrived at the castle and asked the evil wizard as an apprentice. He accepted him and ordered to serve him and restore order in the castle. One fine day, when the wizard left the castle, the Prince opened the door, behind which a girl of unearthly beauty was languishing. They fell in love with each other at first sight and rushed to run away from the castle. But the evil wizard overtook them on the way and turned them into a flower, which he placed in his garden. The long stem of the flower resembles the slender Prince Iolus, and the beautiful delicate flowers resemble the beautiful Glad. And the flower was called that - Glad Iolus, which began to symbolize strong love two hearts.
In ancient times, magicians and shamans endowed gladiolus magical properties. It was believed that if the roots of the gladiolus are hung on the chest in the form of an amulet, then this will protect the owner from death and protect against wounds and help win the duel.
An interesting fact is that earlier, about 300 BC. gladiolus was considered a weed in cereal crops. But cakes were baked from its bulbs mixed with flour.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, healers discovered medicinal properties in gladiolus. Bulb juice was added to milk for young children to boost immunity, it also helped with toothache. Currently, a large amount of vitamin C has been found in gladiolus. The petals of black and red gladioli are still used in medicinal collections to increase the body's defenses.
Gladiolus gained popularity in the 18th century, it was brought to Europe from South Africa. And the peak of popularity falls on the 50-60s of the last century, then in the country of flowers of Holland new varieties of gladioli were bred. To date, about 70,000 varieties of this flower are known. And gladiolus has firmly taken its place in the top five most common cut crops in the world.
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Name gradiolus comes from latin Gladius which means "sword". Many botanists believe that it is given for the similarity of gladiolus leaves with a sword or sword. But in the iris family, to which the gladiolus belongs, many representatives of this family have leaves of this form. Therefore, the American John Garity points out that most likely this name is associated with the shape of a pointed ear. Another, Russian, name of this plant is skewer.
The first mention of gladioli occurs in the 1st century BC. new era in the works of Pliny. At that time, the magical ability to bring victory to the warrior and save him from death was attributed to gladioli. It was believed that if you hang a corm of a gladiolus on your chest as an amulet, then it will not only bring victory, but also protect you from injuries in battles.
And still gladiolus is known as a plant-amulet. It is believed that it is enough to have at least a few gladiolus plants in your garden so that the garden, the house, and the household are protected from the encroachments of ill-wishers and the evil eye.
Beautiful legend of gladiolus brought to us the story of two true friends - Thracian warriors who were captured by the Roman commander, who ordered them to be made gladiators, promising the winner life. But the friends refused to fight each other and were killed for it. From their drops of blood, beautiful flowers grew - gladiolus, the leaves of which were like swords, and the flowers were like the purple of blood. That's why gladioli are a symbol of nobility, fidelity and friendship.
During the Middle Ages, dried and ground gladiolus corms were added to flour when bread was baked. Around 300 BC gladioli were eaten by baking their corms in dough. The ground corms were mixed with onions and cakes were baked. In the 17th-18th centuries, gladiolus was used as a medicine for toothache and as a milk extractor for nursing mothers.
interest in gladiolus ornamental plant began to appear at the end of the 17th century, when South African species appeared for the first time in Europe, which later became the ancestors of most forms of modern gladioli. In 1753, Carl Linnaeus, in his work Species of Plants, gave a botanical description of the genus and species of gladiolus. Many types of gladiolus were introduced into culture during the development of South Africa. It is here that 103 species of gladiolus grow, and 71 of them are endemic, i.e. grow only in the area. In 1807, the Englishman William Herbert crossed several wild South African species and obtained the first gladiolus hybrids.
First large-flowered gladiolus hybrid was obtained by the Belgian breeder Hermann Joseph Beddingauz. One of his hybrids, especially large-flowered and bright, was acquired by Louis van Hutt, a florist from Ghent. In 1841, this hybrid was called Ghent gladiolus. It had a dark red color with a tricolor (yellow, green and purple tones) spot on the three lower petals. In the inflorescence, there were up to 20 buds. Almost all further selection of gladiolus was carried out using Ghent gladiolus. And already in 1880 there were about two thousand varieties.
In 1907, the American A.N. Kundert developed the first variety of gladiolus with ruffled flowers. Now many modern varieties have ruffled and heavily ruffled flowers.
In the 50-60s of the last century, the gladiolus was on the crest of a wave of popularity in such a flower country as Holland. During this time, Dutch breeders developed many new varieties. Some of them, in terms of the sum of their characteristics, have proven themselves very well and are still popular.
In addition, a large amount of vitamin C has now been found in gladiolus. Petals of black and red gladiolus are part of some medicinal preparations that increase human immunity.
Gladiolus are widespread in England and their popularity in this country is stable. The English like to create gladiolus borders or plant them in groups on lawns. In this country, the first ever society of gladiolus growers was created.
Now gladiolus is one of the five most common cut crops in the world. Active breeding work continues in Australia, England, Germany, Israel, Canada, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, the Netherlands, Russia, Slovakia, USA, Ukraine and the Czech Republic. Hundreds of new varieties appear in catalogs every year.
The story of magnificent gladioli continues!
