Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden, South Africa

Family: Iridaceae (Iris)

Life form: Geophyte (bulb, corm or tuber - seasonally dormant)

Comments: Cape Plants (2012) records that 108 Gladiolus species occur within the Cape Flora, of which 86 are entirely endemic, confined to the core Cape Floristic Region. Many are highly localised and threatened.
The genus Gladiolus contains about 260 species, of which 250 are native to sub-Saharan Africa, mostly South Africa. About 10 species are native to Eurasia. There are 160 species of Gladiolus endemic to Southern Africa and 76 to tropical Africa.
The name Gladiolus is from Latin: the diminutive of gladius, a sword, referring to a typical leaf shape within the genus.