[164] Gladiolus species, Gladioli
Introduction
Gladiolus species, hybrids and cultivars are widely cultivated as late-flowering specimen garden plants.
They can be called Sword Lilies but are usually called Gladioli (singular Gladiolus) from the genus name.
Taxonomy
Kingdom – Plants
Division – Vascular Plants
Class – Angiosperms (Flowering Plants)
Clade – Monocots
Order – Asparagales
Family – Iridaceae
Subfamily – Crocoideae
Tribe – Gladioleae
Genus – Gladiolus
There are well over a thousand hybrids and named cultivars.
Name
Gladiolus is a diminutive form of the Latin gladius, a sword.
Description
Gladioli are fairly closely related to [104] Crocuses. Like Crocuses they grow from corms but they develop much later in the year. The almost vertical stem can be a metre or two in height. They often lean slightly because they hold an impressive row of large flowers all on the same side. The trumpet shaped flowers open from the bottom upwards and come in a variety of colours.
They are generally lifted in the autumn, kept over winter and replanted in spring.
Habitat and use
There are about 300 species, coming mostly from the South of Africa. As garden plants they have been extensively hybridized, with many varieties coming from four or five species.
See also
This is nothing similar likely to be found in Britain.
The Species of Britain 