Gladiolus tristis

Gladiolus tristis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Iridaceae
Genus:	Gladiolus
Species:	G. tristis
Binomial name
Gladiolus tristis L.

Gladiolus tristis is a species of gladiolus known by several common names, including ever-flowering gladiolus and marsh Afrikaner. It is native to southern Africa, especially South Africa. It is known in parts of Australia and coastal California as an introduced species. It is sometimes grown as a garden plant. This gladiolus typically grows one half to one metre in height, but has been known to approach 1.5 metres tall. It grows from a corm one or two centimetres wide. It produces three narrow, sheathing leaves. The inflorescence is a spike of two to eight large, fragrant blooms. Each flower has six white or cream tepals with greenish or purplish midlines. The flowers are said to have a scent similar to carnations and cloves. Not all individuals possess scent because the allele for its presence is recessive in relation to the allele for its absence.

References

Gladiolus tristis, Western Cape, South Africa

External links

• Jepson Manual Treatment
• USDA Plants Profile
• "Gladiolus tristis". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
• Gladiolus tristis

• Dressler, S.; Schmidt, M. & Zizka, G. (2014). "Gladiolus tristis". African plants – a Photo Guide. Frankfurt/Main: Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg.