Iridaceae
Gladiolus

Gladiolus gregarius Welw. ex Baker

First published in Trans. Linn. Soc. London, Bot. 1: 268 (1878)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical Africa. It is a tuberous geophyte and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Iridaceae, Peter Goldblatt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1996

Morphology General Habit
Plants (15-)30-80 cm. high.
Vegetative Multiplication Corms
Corms (1.2-)1.8-3(-4) cm. in diameter, tunics membranous, fragmenting irregularly, occasionally subfibrous, the fibres then somewhat clawed.
Morphology Leaves
Foliage leaves 4-7, the lower 3-5 ± basal, 1/2-2/3 as long as the stem, narrowly lanceolate, (6-)9-16(-24) mm. wide, the margins and midribs not or hardly thickened, upper leaves cauline and shorter.
Morphology Stem
Stem erect and straight, unbranched.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Spike (2-)8-20(-25)-flowered, erect, often congested, evidently straight but flexuose under the bracts; bracts 2-3(-5) cm. long, 8-10 mm. at the widest, green or becoming dry and brown at the end of flowering, firm, sometimes lightly striate (the veins raised and hyaline), imbricate, 2-2.5(-3) internodes long, the inner ± 2/3 as long as the outer.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers usually light to dark purple (to dark reddish brown) fading to cream in the throat or mostly white, the tube usually dark purple below, the lower tepals each with a dark purple diamond-shaped mark in the distal third; perianth-tube ± 1.2 cm. long, curving outward and widening above; tepals unequal, the dorsal (1.6-)2.2-2.6 × 1.2-1.8 cm., arched over the stamens, the lower 3 narrowed below into claws, the limbs flexed downward and channelled, joined to the upper laterals for 4-6 mm. and to one another for ± 2 mm., ± 12 × 5 mm., usually shortly exceeding the dorsal in profile.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Filaments 9-13 mm. long, exserted 5-6 mm.; anthers 7-10 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style dividing opposite the lower half of the anthers, branches ± 2 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsules 1.2-1.5 cm. long, narrowly ellipsoid, fairly hard, ± woody.
Figures
Fig. 14/3-5.
Habitat
Occurring in open woodland, often in rocky habitats where it is sheltered from competition, occasionally reported from wetter sites such as edges of seasonally flooded valley grassland; 1000-2300 m.; flowering (November-)January to March
Distribution
T1 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 U1 widespread in tropical Africa, from Senegal to southern Zambia
[FTEA]

Iridaceae, P. Goldblatt. Flora Zambesiaca 12:4. 1993

Morphology General Habit
Plants (15)30–80 cm high.
Vegetative Multiplication Corms
Corms (12)18–30(40) mm in diameter; tunics membranous, fragmenting irregularly, occasionally subfibrous and the fibres then somewhat clawed.
Morphology Leaves
Foliage leaves 4–7, the lower 3–5 more or less basal, half to two thirds as long as the stem and (6)9–16(24) mm wide, narrowly lanceolate, the margins and midribs not or hardly thickened; upper leaves cauline and shorter.
Morphology Stem
Stem erect and straight, unbranched.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Spike (2)8–20(25)-flowered, erect, often congested, evidently straight but flexuous under the bracts; bracts 20–30(50) × 8–10 mm at the widest, green or becoming dry and brown at the end of flowering, firm, sometimes slightly striate (the veins raised and hyaline), imbricate, 2–2.5(3) internodes long, the inner c. two-thirds as long as the outer.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers usually light-to dark-purple (dark-reddish brown) fading to cream-coloured in the throat or mostly white, the tube usually dark-purple below, the lower tepals each with a dark-purple diamond-shaped mark in the distal third; perianth tube c. 12 mm long, curving outward and widening above; tepals unequal, the uppermost (16)22–26 × 12–18 mm, arched over the stamens, the lower 3 tepals c. 12 × c. 5 mm, usually shortly exceeding the uppermost when viewed in profile, narrowed below into claws, the limbs flexed downward and channelled, joined to the upper lateral tepals for 4–6 mm and to one another for c. 2 mm.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Filaments 9–13 mm long, exserted 5–6 mm; anthers 7–10 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style dividing opposite the lower half of the anthers, style branches c. 2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsules 12–15 mm long, narrowly ellipsoid, fairly hard and woody.
[FZ]

Iridaceae, F. N. Hepper. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:1. 1968

Morphology General Habit
A slender herb with very narrow leaves
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers purple or white with purple throat.
[FWTA]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Iridaceae, F. N. Hepper. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:1. 1968

Morphology General Habit
Erect herb 2-4 ft. high
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Numerous reddish purple flowers in a long narrow spike
Ecology
In seasonally moist savanna.
[FWTA]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0