Plants → Iridaceae → Gladiolus
Gladiolus caryophyllaceus (Burm.f.) Poir.
Wild Gladiolus
Lam., Encycl. Suppl. 2:795 (1812)
Conservation Status:
Alien
Name Status:
Current
Brief Description
Amanda Spooner,
Thursday 16 August 2007
Cormous, perennial, herb, 0.2–0.8(–1) m high, with twisted leaf blades. Fl. pink, Aug–Nov. Grey or white sand, loam. Distribution: SW: AW, JF, MAL, SWA, WAR.
Scientific Description
Amanda Spooner, James Carpenter, Gillian Smith and Kim Spence,
Thursday 21 August 2008
Habit. Cormous, annual (stems and leaves) or perennial (corm), broad-leaved, erect herbs, up to 0.84 m high.
Leaves. Alternate, distichous, simple, sheathing, sessile. Leaf blade 80–700 mm long, 10–20 mm wide, undissected, linear (flat and spirally twisted), margins entire or crenate, apex acute. Blade hairy (toward base; glabrous near apex).
Flowers. In spikes (2–8 flowered; alternate flowers twisted to bring perianths into line); predominantly pink, somewhat irregular (dorsal lobe hooded, 35 mm; others spreading, 25–30 mm; 3 lower lobes shortly connate), the floral asymmetry involving the androecium, sessile, perianth 2 -whorled (all lobes petaloid). Calyx 30–35 mm long, 3 sepals, all sepals joined. Corolla 30–35 mm long, 3 petals (tepals), all petals joined (bases form perianth tube, curved, flared toward apex, 30–50 mm long). Stamens 3 (arched under dorsal lobe), adnate to the perianth (inserted on perianth tube), all alternating with the corolla parts (inner lobes), free of each other. Anthers non-versatile, dehiscing via longitudinal slits. Ovary syncarpous, inferior, 3 -celled. Ovules numerous. Styles 1, branched, 3 branches (spathulate).
Fruit. Dehiscent (locules separate from apex down), a capsule, non-fleshy, 20–35 mm long, to 22 mm wide.
Distribution. Australian: Alien to Australia, alien to Western Australia, naturalised. Native distribution: south-west South Africa.
Habitat. Amongst tall trees, medium trees, tall (sclerophyll) shrubland; in gravelly soil, sand, loam; growing in disturbed natural vegetation, in undisturbed natural vegetation (and in frequently burned bushland).
Flowering period. August, September, October.
Additional differences from related species. Differs from other Gladiolus species in its twisted leaves and hairy leaf bases.
Descriptions are sourced from the Weed Information Network project, Western Australian Herbarium.
Descriptions were generated using DELTA data format and DELTA software: Dallwitz (1980) and Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993 onwards, 1995 onwards, 1998).
Management Notes
Kate Brown and Karen Bettink,
Wednesday 5 August 2009
General Biology. Growth form. Geophyte. Life form. Annually renewed corm, some dormancy between fire. Reproduction. Primarily seed, occasionally offsets. Dispersal. Wind. Seedbank persistence. Medium, 1-5 years. Fire response. Generally survives fire. Fire can bring corms out of dormancy and stimulate prolific flowering.
Notes. Endangered in South Africa. As it flowers particularly well following fire, seedling recruitment in the seasons following fire could be very high.
Additional information. Origin. South Africa. History of use/introduction. Garden escape.
Suggested method of management and control. Wipe individual leaves with glyphosate 10 % or spray dense infesations in degraded areas with 1 % glyphosate just on flowering at corm exhaustion. Read the manufacturers' labels and material safety data sheets before using herbicides. For further information consult the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to determine the status of permits for your situation or state.
Management Calendar
| Calendar Type | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dormant | Y | Y | Y | ||||||||||
| Active Growth | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | ||||
| Flowering | Y | Y | Y | ||||||||||
| Fruiting | Y | Y | Y | ||||||||||
| Optimum Treatment | Y | Y | Y |
Legend: Y = Yes, regularly, O = Occasionally, U = Uncertain, referred by others but not confirmed.
References
- Brown, K. & Brooks, K. (2002) Bushland Weeds: A Practical Guide to their Management. Environmental Weeds Action Network, Greenwood.
- Du Plessis, N. & Duncan G. (1989) Bulbous plants of Southern Africa. Tafelberg Publishers Ltd, Cape Town, South Africa.
- Goldblatt, P. & Manning, J. (1998) Gladiolus in Southern Africa. Fernwood Press, Vlaeberg, South Africa.
- Hocking, P.J. (1992) Seasonal dynamics of the accumulation, distribution and redistribution of dry matter and mineral nutrients in a weedy species of Gladiolus (Gladiolus caryophyllaceus). Annals of Botany, 71: 495-509.
- Hussey, B.M.J., Keighery, G.J., Dodd, J., Lloyd, S.G. & Cousens, R.D. (2007) Western Weeds. A guide to the weeds of Western Australia. 2nd Edition. The Plant Protection Society of Western Australia, Victoria Park.
- Paczkowska, G. & Chapman, A.R. (2000) The Western Australian flora: A descriptive catalogue. Western Australian Wildflower Society (Inc.), Western Australian Herbarium and Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority, Perth.
