Gladiolus atropurpureus
Life
> eukaryotes >
Archaeoplastida >
Chloroplastida
>
Charophyta > Streptophytina > Plantae (land plants)
> Tracheophyta (vascular plants) > Euphyllophyta > Lignophyta (woody plants)
> Spermatophyta (seed plants) > Angiospermae (flowering
plants) > Monocotyledons > Order: Asparagales
> Family: Iridaceae > Genus:
Gladiolus
Information from Goldblatt (1993).
Identification
- Flowers range in colour from deep maroon-purple to white with
dark-purple nectar guides.
- Often confused with Gladiolus
unguiculatus but can be distinguished by not have a gap (window)
between the uppermost tepal and the upper lateral tepals, when viewed in
profile (see lower image above).
Distribution and habitat
A tropical African species with a distribution including
Angola, Burundi, DRC, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Occurs in deciduous woodland and low montane grassland, sometimes on rocky
outcrops.
Life cycle
- A geophyte with corms measuring 10-30 mm in diameter (usually 15-20 mm).
- Flowers from November to December.
- Fruits late December and January.
- Dormant from February to April.
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Publications
Text by Hamish Robertson |