There are about 163 species (with new ones being discovered) in the area south of the Tropic of Capricorn and including Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, and Mozambique. Some are found in winter rainfall areas and some in summer rainfall areas. For more information see Goldblatt and Manning, 1998. Southern African species from U-Z are pictured on this page.
Gladiolus index -- Southern African Gladiolus A-B -- Southern African Gladiolus Ca -- Southern African Gladiolus Ce-E -- Southern African Gladiolus F-H -- Southern African Gladiolus I-Me -- Southern African Gladiolus Mi-Pa -- Southern African Gladiolus Pe-Sc -- Southern African Gladiolus Se-T -- Gladiolus Hybrids -- Miscellaneous Gladiolus
Gladiolus undulatus is a late spring summer flowering plant found on marshy sandstone slopes in the northwest and southwest Cape. It has whitish to cream flowers with pink diamonds on the lower tepals. Although it is similar to Gladiolus carneus, it has a much longer tube with wavy tepals. Photos by Mary Sue Ittner of flowers blooming various years in June in northern California.
Gladiolus uysiae is brownish purple with dark veining and fragrant. It flowers late winter to early spring and can be found on clay slopes in renosterveld. The first photo taken by Bob Rutemoeller shows one grown by Gordon Summerfield in South Africa blooming September 2003. The next photos were taken in habitat near Middelpos in the Roggeveld by Mary Sue Ittner and Bob Rutemoeller.
Gladiolus vaginatus gows on limestone and clay loam slopes in fynbos and renosterveld form the cape penisula to Caledon and Knysna. It has blue to gray flowers with dark streaks on the lower tepals and blooms late summer to fall. Photo taken near Napier by Cameron McMaster in the Overberg.
Gladiolus venustus is purple to pink with yellow markings on the lower tepals and is found on clay and sandstone slopes in the winter rainfall areas. This first photo by Mary Sue Ittner was taken in September 2006 in the Roggeveld. The next three photos were taken by Bob Werra.
Gladiolus vinosomaculatus grows in exposed and often dry sites (rocky hilltops and slopes in short grassland) and on rocky outcrops in the summer rainfall areas of southern Africa north of the Vaal River. The tepals are covered with large pruple to reddish spots on a pale backgound. The leaves have long sheaths that form a short pesudo stem. This species is closely related to Gladiolus ecklonii. Photo taken by Rod Saunders.
Gladiolus virescens grows on sandstone or clay slopes in a broad area flowering in late winter to spring. Flowers are yellow to pink with dark veins and very fragrant. These two different color forms were photographed in the southwest Cape September 2003. A third, a pink one, was grown by Alan Horstmann. Photos by Bob Rutemoeller.
Photos taken by Cameron McMaster at Boskloof and near Napier, both in the Overberg. The last picture shows the seed pods.
Gladiolus viridiflorus grows on rocky sandstone slopes in the northwest Cape. Flowering exactly one year from sowing. Photo by Sheila Burrow.
Gladiolus watermeyeri grows on rocky sandstone slopes in the Northwest Cape. It is very fragrant and we could smell this one growing near Nieuwoudtville before we saw it. Photos by Mary Sue Ittner and Rod Saunders.
Gladiolus watsonius (syn. Homoglossum watsonium) is found on clay and granite slopes in renosterveld in the northwest and southwest Cape. It blooms in late winter, early spring with an erect spike of red to orange flowers. The first photo below was taken by Bob Werra and the second by Susan Hayek in the greenhouse of Diana Chapman. Photos three to five by Mary Sue Ittner of plants at Telos and plants blooming in her garden in February 2007. The last photo was taken by Alan Horstmann.
Gladiolus wilsonii grows in the Eastern Cape which is a summer rainfall area, but is a winter growing species. It grows in open grassland in light loamy sand. It has short tubed white to cream fragrant flowers. Sometimes the reverse of the upper tepals is flushed pink to purple toward the tips and sometimes the lower three tepals have a short pale mauve streak near the base. Photos by Cameron McMaster.
Gladiolus index -- Southern African Gladiolus A-B -- Southern African Gladiolus Ca -- Southern African Gladiolus Ce-E -- Southern African Gladiolus F-H -- Southern African Gladiolus I-Me -- Southern African Gladiolus Mi-Pa –- Southern African Gladiolus Pe-Sc -- Southern African Gladiolus Se-T -- Gladiolus Hybrids -- Miscellaneous Gladiolus
Return to the PBS wiki Photographs And Information page