There are about 163 species of Gladiolus (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 A-B are pictured on this page.
Gladiolus index -- 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 -- Southern African Gladiolus U-Z -- Gladiolus Hybrids – Miscellaneous Gladiolus
Gladiolus abbreviatus (syn. Homoglossum abbreviatum) is an odd species with grossly unequal dark red to brown tepals. It is pollinated by sunbirds and occurs in the southwestern Cape where it is found in clay and shale banks in renosterveld. Although in the book above it is described as usually having 4 to 6 flowers my plants grown from seed only have a couple and ones seen in the wild also did not have very many flowers. The first two photos were taken by Mary Sue Ittner of seed grown plants and the last two in habitat by Cameron McMaster near Napier in the Overberg.
Gladiolus acuminatus is endemic to the Overberg. It grows in stony shale on flats and in renosterveld. It has a long perianth tube and pale greenish cream fragrant flowers. Photo by Alan Horstmann.
Gladiolus alatus is a winter rainfall species found on flats, slopes, and plateaus, mainly in sand. It is orange marked yellow. The first picture was taken near Paarl September 2003 by Bob Rutemoeller. The next two pictures were taken by Bob Rutemoeller and Mary Sue Ittner near Bainskloof September 2006. The last picture by Mary Sue Ittner show flowers on a plant grown from seed blooming March 2005.
The white form seen near Villiersdorp. Photo by Mary Sue Ittner. The second photo by Bob Rutemoeller shows one for sale in a nursery in Caledon.
Gladiolus angustus is found in wet places on sandstone soils in the northwest and southwest Cape. It blooms in spring with cream to pale pink flowers with reddish diamond-shaped markings on the lower tepals. Photos by Mary Sue Ittner. Some of the plants I grow have no markings, some light markings, and some deep markings.
Gladiolus arcuatus grows in the dry western part of the winter rainfall area of South Africa. In Namaqualand this species grows among low shrubs in granite derive gravel and in fine grained silt in areas to the south. It has flowers that are dull grey purple, brownish or dark purple, with the lower three tepals yellow in the lower two thirds with the distal third dark purple fading to light grey purple. The dorsal tepal is largest, horizontal and arching forward. Flowers are very fragrant and probably pollinated by long tongued bees. The photo below taken by Mary Sue Ittner could be this species. It was seen in early September 2006 in Namaqualand in the right habitat.
Gladiolus aureus grows in seeps on rocky sandstone slopes in the Southwest Cape. It has bright yellow flowers. Photos by Bob Werra.
Gladiolus bonaspei grows on sandy flats and slopes in the Southwest Cape. It has 2 to 7 orange, rarely yellow flowers. Flowers held up very well during a wet period in February when they bloomed and over the course of the blooming period the color changed slightly from all orange to orange with yellow tones. Photos by Mary Sue Ittner.
Gladiolus brevifolius blooms in fall before producing leaves and has small pink, gray or brownish flowers with yellow markings on the lower tepals. It is found on sandstone and shale slopes in the north and south western Cape. The first two photos of garden grown plants by Mary Sue Ittner and Bob Rutemoeller. The last picture was taken near Napier in the Overberg by Cameron McMaster.
Gladiolus bullatus is found on sandstone slopes in fybos in the southwest Cape and the Agulhas plain. This species is reported to be difficult in cultivation. It has bell-like blue flowers with yellow markings and is hooded. The first photo by Bob Rutemoeller was taken at Boskloof, the second and third by Cameron McMaster in the Overberg, and the last a close-up from Alan Horstmann .
Gladiolus index -- 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 -- Southern African Gladiolus U-Z -- Gladiolus Hybrids – Miscellaneous Gladiolus
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