Gladiolus, whose name comes from the Latin word gladius meaning "a sword", is a genus of flowering plants from the iris family (Iridaceae). Although it is sometimes also called the sword lily, the most widely-used English common name for these plants is simply gladiolus (the plural is gladioli or gladioluses).
The Gladiolus genus comprises about 260 species. Of these, 250 species are native to sub-Saharan Africa, with 160 species from southern Africa and 76 species from tropical Africa. About 10 species are native to Eurasia. The attractive flower spikes of the Gladiolus makes it a popular flower for the cut-flower industry. It is extensively hybridized and now come in many varieties.
The Gladiolus grow from rounded, symmetrical corms encased in several layers of brownish, fibrous tunics. Their stems are usually unbranched and produce 1 to 9 narrow, sword-shaped, longitudinal grooved leaves, enclosed in a sheath.
Originally, South African species were pollinated by long-tongued anthrophorine bees. However changes in the pollination pattern now see pollination by sunbirds, noctuid and sphingid moths, long-tongued flies and several others. Gladioli are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the Large Yellow Underwing.
Botanical Name
Gladiolus
Features
Tall flower spikes
Planting condition
In full sun in moist soil
Propagation
Corms lifted in autumn, stored over winter, replanted in spring
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