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 Ce-E are pictured on this page.
Gladiolus index - Southern African gladiolus A-B - Southern African gladiolus Ca - 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 ceresianus grows on stony slopes and flats in clay soil from southern Namaqualand to the western Karoo and in the Roggeveld and Bokkeveld Plateau. It has linear leaves with four longitudinal grooves and one to four flowers in a inclined spike that are brown to purple with dark veining. This plants blooms from August to October in the wild. Photos from Cameron McMaster taken on the Matjiesfontein Sutherland road and from Alan Horstmann.
Gladiolus crassifolius is a widespread species of eastern southern Africa. It is found also in tropical Africa. Plants in southern Africa usually grow in hilly country in well-drained rocky grassland habitats and bloom late summer. Plants in tropical Africa bloom earlier before the new season’s leaves have developed. Flowers are borne in a 16 to 22 flowered spike and are usually pale to deep pink or light purple. The lower lateral tepals have a dark band of color across the lower half of the limbs. Photos taken by Cameron McMaster at Maclear and Sentinel Peak in the Eastern Cape in 2008.
Gladiolus cunonius (syns. Anomalesia cunonia, Antholyza cunonia) has bright red flowers and blooms in the spring and grows in sandy soils near the coast. The first two photos were taken by Bob Rutemoeller and Mary Sue Ittner and the next two by Cameron McMaster in habitat near Arniston in the Overberg. The last picture shows the seed capsules hanging over the cliff near the ocean.
Gladiolus dalenii is a widespread and common species found not only in Southern Africa, but also in other parts of tropical Africa. It blooms at different times of the year depending on the location, but there are probably flowers every month of the year somewhere in its native habitats. Flowers are either red to orange with yellow markings on the lower half of the three lower tepals or yellow to greenish with red to brown streaks on the upper tepals. Although it favors moist habitats and is often found in grassland, it can also be found in dry habitats with only a short wet season. The ones I grow are dormant in winter, appearing late spring and surviving through my dry summer and blooming in the fall. The flowering stalks are very tall with a number of flowers. Photos one and two by Mary Sue Ittner and three by Cameron McMaster of plants in cultivation and the fourth from Cameron of flowering plants in habitat in the Eastern Cape.
Gladiolus debilis is found on rocky sandstone slopes in the southwest Cape blooming in spring with white flowers with red markings on the lower tepals. The first photo by Mary Sue Ittner was taken in September 2001 in an area in the southwest Cape that had burned the year previously and the second was taken by Bob Rutemoeller September 2003 at Boskloof. The third was taken by Ragnhild Crawford. Photos four and five taken near Napier in the Overberg by Cameron McMaster. The last photo was taken by Andrew Harvie.
Gladiolus densiflorus is a species found in the lowveld and coast of eastern southern Africa. It grows in open grassland, usually on deep soils in high (summer) rainfall areas. It has small, short tubed, cream, greenish, pink, mauve, slate-grey or occasionally orange flower that are usually minutely speckled with pink to purple spots. Photo taken by Rod Saunders.
Gladiolus ecklonii is widespread in the summer rainfall area where it is found in well watered low grassland. It has flowers that are minutely spotted or dotted pink, red or purple on a white background. . The lower tepals are yellow to cream. The flowers may be so evenly covered with uniformly pink or dark red spots that they look that color. From a distance the flowers on my plants looks almost brown. The attractive leaves are bright green in a fan with thickened margins. The first two photos of blooming September 2004 in California by Mary Sue Ittner. The third through fifth were taken by Cameron McMaster in the Eastern Cape and the last was taken by Rod Saunders.
Gladiolus equitans is very similar to Gladiolus alatus but has short, broad leathery leaves with raised margins and grows on rocky hills in Namaqualand. This one was photographed in Namaqualand in August 2001 just after a rain by Mary Sue Ittner. The second photo was taken in about the same place in September 2006 by Bob Rutemoeller, but this time the plants were already in seed. The third picture was taken by Rod Saunders. The fourth and fifth photos taken in habitat by Andrew Harvie.
Gladiolus index - Southern African gladiolus A-B - Southern African gladiolus Ca - 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