Iridaceae
Gladiolus

Gladiolus crassifolius Baker

First published in J. Bot. 14: 334 (1876)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tanzania to S. Africa. It is a tuberous geophyte and grows primarily in the subtropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Plants (25)40–90(120) cm high, sometimes with up to 5 stems per corm.
Vegetative Multiplication Corms
Corms 2–3 cm in diameter; tunics coriaceous to coarsely fibrous.
Morphology Leaves
Foliage leaves 4–8, either few and emergent at flowering time, then the stem bearing only 1–2 cauline and sheathing leaves and 2 laminate basal leaves, or with several basal laminate leaves and 2–3 cauline leaves, these with progressively shorter blades and the upper sometimes entirely sheathing; blades narrowly lanceolate to linear, exceeding the spike in short-stemmed plants, or reaching to about the base of the spike in tall plants, 5–12 mm wide, the midrib and margins hyaline and moderately thickened.
Morphology Stem
Stem simple or 1–3(5)-branched.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Spike with the main axis (6)12–22-flowered, the branches with fewer flowers; bracts 12–18 mm long, usually pale-green or flushed purple, soft-textured initially, becoming dry and membranous above (in fruit often translucent light red-brown), more or less obtuse to subacute, usually apiculate, the inner slightly shorter than the outer and 2-apiculate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers pale to deep-pink or purple, the lower lateral and sometimes the lowermost tepals each with a dark band of colour across the lower half of the limbs, sometimes the dark band edged with cream; perianth tube c. 8 mm long, curved and funnel-shaped, cylindric below, widening and curving outward in upper part; tepals unequal, the uppermost 20–22 × c. 8 mm (often less when dry), larger than the others and arched over the stamens, the upper lateral tepals 18–22 mm long, directed forward and curving outward in the upper half, the lower 3 more or less straight and directed downward, united basally for 2–3 mm, the lateral tepals 12–15 mm, and the lowermost 16–20 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Filaments c. 12 mm long, exserted for 6 mm; anthers 7–8 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style usually dividing opposite the lower half of the anthers; style branches c. 2 mm long, seldom extending past the middle of the anthers.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsules 9–12(14) mm long, obovoid.
[FZ]

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

Morphology General Habit
Plants 40-90(-120) cm. high, sometimes with up to 5 stems per corm.
Vegetative Multiplication Corms
Corm 2-3 cm. in diameter, tunics coriaceous to coarsely fibrous.
Morphology Leaves
Foliage leaves 4-8, either few and emergent at flowering time, then the stem bearing only 1-2 cauline and sheathing leaves and 2 laminate basal leaves, or with several basal laminate leaves and 2-3 cauline leaves, these with progressively shorter blades and the upper sometimes entirely sheathing, blades narrowly lanceolate to linear, exceeding the spike in short-stemmed plants, or reaching to ± the base of the spike in tall, 5-12 mm. wide, the midrib and margins hyaline and moderately thickened.
Morphology Stem
Stem simple or 1-3(-5) branched.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Spike with the main axis (6-)12-22-flowered, the branches with fewer flowers; bracts 12-18 mm. long, usually pale green or flushed purple, soft-textured initially, becoming dry and membranous above (in fruit often translucent light red-brown), ± obtuse to subacute, usually apiculate, the inner slightly shorter than the outer and 2-apiculate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers pale to deep pink or purple, the lower lateral and sometimes the lowermost tepals each with a dark band of colour across the lower half of the limbs, sometimes the dark band edged with cream; perianth-tube curved and funnel-shaped, cylindric below, widening and curving outward above, ± 8 mm. long; tepals unequal, the dorsal 2-2.2 cm. long, ± 8 mm. wide, (often less when dry), largest, arched over the stamens, the upper laterals 1.8-2.2 cm. long, directed forward and curving outward in the upper half, the lower 3 ± straight and directed downward, united basally for 2-3 mm., narrowed into channelled claws below, the laterals 1.2-1.5 cm., the lowermost 1.6-2 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Filaments ± 1.2 cm. long, exserted for 6 mm.; anthers 7-8 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style usually dividing opposite the lower half of the anthers, the branches ± 2 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsules obovoid, 9-12(-14) mm. long.
Habitat
Open grassland, sometimes in rocky situations, in both well-watered and relatively dry sites; usually above 1800 m. (coastal in South Africa and Mozambique); flowering April to June
Distribution
T7
[FTEA]

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]

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

  • 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

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images