Gladiolus (from Latin, the diminutive of , a sword) is a genus of perennial cormous flowering plants in the iris family (Iridaceae).
It is sometimes called the 'sword lily', but is usually called by its generic name (plural gladioli).
The genus occurs in Asia, Mediterranean Europe, South Africa, and tropical Africa. The center of diversity is in the Cape Floristic Region.Goldblatt, P. &, J.C. Manning. Gladiolus in Southern Africa: Systematics, Biology, and Evolution. Fernwood Press, Cape Town; 1998. The genera Acidanthera, Anomalesia, Homoglossum, and Oenostachys, formerly considered distinct, are now included in Gladiolus.
Description Gladioli grow from round, symmetrical corms (similar to crocuses) that are enveloped in several layers of brownish, fibrous tunics.
Their stems are generally unbranched, producing 1 to 9 narrow, sword-shaped, longitudinal grooved leaves, enclosed in a sheath. The lowest leaf is shortened to a cataphyll. The leaf blades can be plane or cruciform in cross section. The adaxial and abaxial surfaces of the leaf exhibit micro-striations with aligned micro-protrusions, which are coated with waxy nano-flakes. This three-level surface structure enables the leaf to shed rainfall droplets in a unidirectional manner due to anisotropic superhydrophobicity features, as reported by Mahesh C. Dubey et al.
The flowers of unmodified wild species vary from very small to perhaps across, and inflorescences bearing anything from one to several flowers. The spectacular giant flower spikes in commerce are the products of centuries of hybridisation and selection.
The flower spikes are large and one-sided, with secund, bisexual flowers, each subtended by 2 leathery, green bracts. The sepals and the petals are almost identical in appearance, and are termed tepals. They are united at their base into a tube-shaped structure. The dorsal tepal is the largest, arching over the three stamens. The outer three tepals are narrower. The perianth is funnel-shaped, with the stamens attached to its base. The style has three filiform, spoon-shaped branches, each expanding towards the apex.William Berman
The ovary is 3-locular with oblong or globose capsules, containing many winged, brown, longitudinally dehiscent seeds.
These flowers are variously coloured, ranging from pink to reddish or light purple with white, contrasting markings, or white to cream or orange to red.
Taxonomy The genus Gladiolus was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 with the name attributed to Joseph Pitton de Tournefort.
Species There are about 260 species of Gladiolus endemic to southern Africa,Trevor R. Hodkinson and John A.N. Parnell (Editors) and about 76 in tropical Africa. About 10 species are native to Eurasia.Rina Kamenetsky and Hiroshi Okubo (Editors) The genus has been divided into many sections. Most species, however, are only tentatively placed.
, Plants of the World Online accepted almost 300 species and hybrids:
Gladiolus abbreviatus Andrews Gladiolus abyssinicus (Brongn. ex Lem.) B.D.Jacks. Gladiolus actinomorphanthus P.A.Duvign. & Van Bockstal Gladiolus acuminatus F.Bolus Gladiolus adanus Eker & Sağıroğlu Gladiolus aequinoctialis Herb. Gladiolus aladagensis Eker & Sagiroglu Gladiolus alanyensis H.Duman, Sağıroğlu, Tekşen & Karaman Gladiolus alatus L. Gladiolus albens Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Gladiolus alucraensis Sağıroğlu & Eker Gladiolus amplifolius Goldblatt Gladiolus anatolicus (Boiss.) Stapf Gladiolus andringitrae Goldblatt Gladiolus angustus L. Gladiolus antakiensis A.P.Ham. Gladiolus antandroyi Goldblatt Gladiolus antholyzoides Baker Gladiolus appendiculatus G.J.Lewis Gladiolus aquamontanus Goldblatt Gladiolus arcuatus Klatt Gladiolus atropictus Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Gladiolus atropurpureus Baker Gladiolus atroviolaceus Boiss. Gladiolus attilae Kit Tan, B.Mathew & A.Baytop Gladiolus aurantiacus Klatt Gladiolus aureus Baker Gladiolus balensis Goldblatt Gladiolus baumii Harms Gladiolus bellus C.H.Wright Gladiolus benguellensis Baker Gladiolus bilineatus G.J.Lewis Gladiolus blommesteinii L.Bolus Gladiolus bojeri (Baker) Goldblatt Gladiolus boranensis Goldblatt Gladiolus brachyphyllus F.Bolus Gladiolus brevifolius Jacq. Gladiolus brevitubus G.J.Lewis Gladiolus buckerveldii (L.Bolus) Goldblatt Gladiolus bullatus Thunb. ex G.J.Lewis Gladiolus caeruleus Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Gladiolus calcaratus G.J.Lewis Gladiolus calcicola Goldblatt Gladiolus canaliculatus Goldblatt Gladiolus candidus (Rendle) Goldblatt Gladiolus cardinalis Curtis Gladiolus carinatus Aiton Gladiolus carmineus C.H.Wright Gladiolus carneus D.Delaroche Gladiolus caryophyllaceus (Burm.f.) Poir. Gladiolus cataractarum Oberm. Gladiolus caucasicus Herb. Gladiolus ceresianus L.Bolus Gladiolus chelamontanus Goldblatt Gladiolus chevalierianus Marais Gladiolus clivorum Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Gladiolus communis L. Gladiolus comptonii G.J.Lewis Gladiolus crassifolius Baker Gladiolus crispulatus L.Bolus Gladiolus cruentus T.Moore Gladiolus cunonius (L.) Gaertn. Gladiolus curtifolius Marais Gladiolus curtilimbus P.A.Duvign. & Van Bockstal ex S.Córdova Gladiolus cylindraceus G.J.Lewis Gladiolus dalenii Van Geel Gladiolus davisoniae F.Bolus Gladiolus debeerstii De Wild. Gladiolus debilis Sims Gladiolus decaryi Goldblatt Gladiolus decoratus Baker Gladiolus delpierrei Goldblatt Gladiolus densiflorus Baker Gladiolus deserticola Goldblatt Gladiolus dichrous (Bullock) Goldblatt Gladiolus diluvialis Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Gladiolus dolichosiphon Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Gladiolus dolomiticus Oberm. Gladiolus dubius Guss. Gladiolus dzavakheticus Eristavi Gladiolus ecklonii Lehm. Gladiolus elliotii Baker Gladiolus emiliae L.Bolus Gladiolus engysiphon G.J.Lewis Gladiolus equitans Thunb. Gladiolus erectiflorus Baker Gladiolus exalatus Goldblatt & Blittersd. Gladiolus exiguus G.J.Lewis Gladiolus exilis G.J.Lewis Gladiolus fenestratus Goldblatt Gladiolus ferrugineus Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Gladiolus filiformis Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Gladiolus flanaganii Baker Gladiolus flavoviridis Goldblatt Gladiolus floribundus Jacq. Gladiolus fourcadei (L.Bolus) Goldblatt & M.P.de Vos Gladiolus gallaecicus Pau ex J.-M.Tison & Girod Gladiolus geardii L.Bolus Gladiolus goldblattianus Geerinck Gladiolus gracilis Jacq. Gladiolus gracillimus Baker Gladiolus grandiflorus Andrews Gladiolus grantii Baker Gladiolus gregarius Welw. ex Baker Gladiolus griseus Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Gladiolus gueinzii Kunze Gladiolus gunnisii (Rendle) Marais Gladiolus guthriei F.Bolus Gladiolus hajastanicus Gabrieljan Gladiolus halophilus Boiss. & Heldr. Gladiolus hamzaoglui H.Duman, Sagiroglu & Teksen Gladiolus harmsianus Vaupel Gladiolus hirsutus Jacq. Gladiolus hollandii L.Bolus Gladiolus horombensis Goldblatt Gladiolus huillensis (Welw. ex Baker) Goldblatt Gladiolus humilis Stapf Gladiolus huttonii (N.E.Br.) Goldblatt & M.P.de Vos Gladiolus hyalinus Jacq. Gladiolus illyricus W.D.J.Koch Gladiolus imbricatus L. Gladiolus inandensis Baker Gladiolus inarimensis Guss. Gladiolus inflatus (Thunb.) Thunb. Gladiolus inflexus Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Gladiolus insolens Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Gladiolus intonsus Goldblatt Gladiolus involutus D.Delaroche Gladiolus iroensis (A.Chev.) Marais Gladiolus italicus Mill. Gladiolus izzet-baysalii Eker & Sagiroglu Gladiolus jonquilodorus Eckl. ex G.J.Lewis Gladiolus juncifolius Goldblatt Gladiolus kamiesbergensis G.J.Lewis Gladiolus karooicus Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Gladiolus kotschyanus Boiss. Gladiolus lapeirousioides Goldblatt Gladiolus laxiflorus Baker Gladiolus ledoctei P.A.Duvign. & Van Bockstal Gladiolus leonensis Marais Gladiolus leptosiphon F.Bolus Gladiolus liliaceus Houtt. Gladiolus linearifolius Vaupel Gladiolus lithicola Goldblatt Gladiolus longicollis Baker Gladiolus longispathaceus Cufod. Gladiolus loteniensis Hilliard & B.L.Burtt Gladiolus lundaensis Goldblatt Gladiolus luteus Lam. Gladiolus macneilii Oberm. Gladiolus maculatus Sweet Gladiolus magnificus (Harms) Goldblatt Gladiolus malvinus Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Gladiolus manikaensis Goldblatt Gladiolus mariae Burgt Gladiolus marlothii G.J.Lewis Gladiolus martleyi L.Bolus Gladiolus meliusculus (G.J.Lewis) Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Gladiolus melleri Baker Gladiolus menitskyi Gabrieljan Gladiolus mensensis (Schweinf.) Goldblatt Gladiolus merianellus (L.) Thunb. Gladiolus meridionalis G.J.Lewis Gladiolus metallicola Goldblatt Gladiolus micranthus Stapf Gladiolus microcarpus G.J.Lewis Gladiolus microspicatus P.A.Duvign. & Van Bockstal ex S.Córdova Gladiolus miniatus Eckl. Gladiolus mirus Vaupel Gladiolus monticola G.J.Lewis ex Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Gladiolus mortonius Herb. Gladiolus mosambicensis Baker Gladiolus mostertiae L.Bolus Gladiolus muenzneri Vaupel Gladiolus murgusicus Mikheev Gladiolus murielae Kelway Gladiolus mutabilis G.J.Lewis Gladiolus negeliensis Goldblatt Gladiolus nerineoides G.J.Lewis Gladiolus nigromontanus Goldblatt Gladiolus numidicus Jord. Gladiolus nyasicus Goldblatt Gladiolus oatesii Rolfe Gladiolus ochroleucus Baker Gladiolus oliganthus Baker Gladiolus oligophlebius Baker Gladiolus oppositiflorus Herb. Gladiolus orchidiflorus Andrews Gladiolus oreocharis Schltr. Gladiolus oreophilus Eker & Sağıroğlu Gladiolus ornatus Klatt Gladiolus osmaniyensis Sagiroglu Gladiolus overbergensis Goldblatt & M.P.de Vos Gladiolus paludosus Baker Gladiolus palustris Gaudin Gladiolus papilio Hook.f. Gladiolus pappei Baker Gladiolus pardalinus Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Gladiolus parvulus Schltr. Gladiolus patersoniae F.Bolus Gladiolus pauciflorus Baker ex Oliv. Gladiolus pavonia Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Gladiolus permeabilis D.Delaroche Gladiolus perrieri Goldblatt Gladiolus persicus Boiss. Gladiolus phoenix Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Gladiolus pole-evansii I.Verd. Gladiolus praecostatus Marais Gladiolus pretoriensis Kuntze Gladiolus priorii (N.E.Br.) Goldblatt & M.P.de Vos Gladiolus pritzelii Diels Gladiolus puberulus Vaupel Gladiolus pubigerus G.J.Lewis Gladiolus pulcherrimus (G.J.Lewis) Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Gladiolus pungens P.A.Duvign. & Van Bockstal ex S.Córdova Gladiolus pusillus Goldblatt Gladiolus quadrangularis (Burm.f.) Ker Gawl. Gladiolus quadrangulus (D.Delaroche) Barnard Gladiolus recurvus L. Gladiolus reginae Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Gladiolus rehmannii Baker Gladiolus rhodanthus J.C.Manning & Goldblatt Gladiolus richardsiae Goldblatt Gladiolus robertsoniae F.Bolus Gladiolus robiliartianus P.A.Duvign. Gladiolus rogersii Baker Gladiolus roseolus Chiov. Gladiolus roseovenosus Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Gladiolus rubellus Goldblatt Gladiolus rudis Licht. ex Roem. & Schult. Gladiolus rufomarginatus G.J.Lewis Gladiolus rupicola Vaupel Gladiolus saccatus (Klatt) Goldblatt & M.P.de Vos Gladiolus salmoneicolor P.A.Duvign. & Van Bockstal ex S.Córdova Gladiolus salteri G.J.Lewis Gladiolus saundersii Hook.f. Gladiolus saxatilis Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Gladiolus scabridus Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Gladiolus schweinfurthii (Baker) Goldblatt & M.P.de Vos Gladiolus scullyi Baker Gladiolus sekukuniensis P.J.D.Winter Gladiolus sempervirens G.J.Lewis Gladiolus serapiiflorus Goldblatt Gladiolus serenjensis Goldblatt Gladiolus sericeovillosus Hook.f. Gladiolus serpenticola Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Gladiolus siirtensis Pınar, Eroğlu & Fidan Gladiolus somalensis Goldblatt & Thulin Gladiolus speciosus Thunb. Gladiolus splendens (Sweet) Herb. Gladiolus stefaniae Oberm. Gladiolus stellatus G.J.Lewis Gladiolus stenolobus Goldblatt Gladiolus stenosiphon Goldblatt Gladiolus stokoei G.J.Lewis Gladiolus subcaeruleus G.J.Lewis Gladiolus sudanicus Goldblatt Gladiolus sufflavus (G.J.Lewis) Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Gladiolus sulculatus Goldblatt Gladiolus symonsii F.Bolus Gladiolus szovitsii Grossh. Gladiolus taubertianus Schltr. Gladiolus tenuis M.Bieb. Gladiolus teretifolius Goldblatt & M.P.de Vos Gladiolus trichonemifolius Ker Gawl. Gladiolus triphyllus (Sm.) Ker Gawl. Gladiolus tristis L. Gladiolus tshombeanus P.A.Duvign. & Van Bockstal Gladiolus uitenhagensis Goldblatt & Vlok