Gladiolus usambarensis Marais ex Goldblatt

Iridaceae, Peter Goldblatt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1996

Habit

Plants 20-40 cm. high, erect or inclined to trailing from cliffs.

Corms

Corm 1.5-2 cm. in diameter, the tunics membranous to coriaceous, reddish brown.

Leaves

Leaves 4-6(-or more), the lower 3-5 basal, reaching at least to the base of the spikes, or slightly exceeding them, narrowly lanceolate to ± linear, 5-12 mm. wide, firm-textured, the midribs raised, the upper leaves cauline and progressively reduced in size.

Stem

Stem erect or trailing, unbranched, 2-2.5 mm. in diameter at the base of the spike.

Inflorescences

Spike (2-)3-8-flowered, straight or lightly flexuose; bracts green, 2-3(-5) cm. long, the inner ± 2/3 as long as the outer.

Flowers

Flowers zygomorphic, usually white, or pale pink, greenish on the reverse of the tube, the lower 3 tepals each with a narrow red stripe in the lower midline and yellow in the throat; perianth-tube 3.5-5(-6) cm. long, straight, slender below, widening slightly in the upper part; tepals subequal, lanceolate, the lower laterals slightly smaller than the others, 3-3.2 × 1.2-1.4 cm., directed forward and gradually curved outward in the upper half.

Stamens

Filaments ± 1.6 cm. long, exserted ± 7 mm. from the tube; anthers ± 8 mm. long.

Style

Style straight and held above the stamens, dividing shortly beyond the anther-apices, the branches ± 4 mm. long.

Fruits

Capsules obovoid, (1.1-)2-2.5 cm. long.

Figures

Fig. 15/2-3.

Habitat

Mainly in montane habitats, in rocky sites, sometimes on cliffs; generally above 2000 m. in Tanzania, 1200-2200 m. in Kenya; flowering almost any month but evidently more often September to November

Distribution

K7 T2 T3 T6 not known elsewhere