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This species is accepted, and its native range is SE. Kenya to Tanzania.

[FTEA]

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

Native to:

Kenya, Tanzania

Gladiolus usambarensis Marais ex Goldblatt appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status
Jul 3, 1996 Chuwa, S. [89034], Tanzania K000239487
Jan 1, 1995 Bally, P.R.O. [2321], Tanzania K000239481
Jan 1, 1995 Bally [13579], Kenya K000239475
Jan 1, 1994 Greenway, P.J. [7537], Tanzania K000239482
Jan 1, 1994 Drummond, R.B. [2852], Tanzania K000320750 holotype
Jan 1, 1994 Eggeling, W.J. [6706], Tanzania K000239479
Jan 1, 1994 Gillman, H. [938], Tanzania K000239478
Jan 1, 1994 Dale, I.R. [3839], Kenya K000239476
Jan 1, 1994 Herlocker, D. [405], Tanzania K000239480
Jan 1, 1993 Greenway, P.J. [7035], Tanzania K000239483
Jan 1, 1993 Archer, P.G. [547], Kenya K000239474
Jan 1, 1993 Woodruff [s.n.], Tanzania K000239484
Jan 1, 1993 Grant, D.K.S. [24], Tanzania K000239485
Jan 1, 1993 Boy, J. [8840], Kenya K000239477
Jan 1, 1993 Turner, K. [12944], Tanzania K000239486

First published in Gladiolus Trop. Afr.: 189 (1996)

Accepted by

  • Govaerts, R. (2003). World Checklist of Seed Plants Database in ACCESS G: 1-40325.

Literature

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • Goldblatt, Gladiolus Trop. Afr.: 189 (1996).

Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
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Herbarium Catalogue Specimens
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Kew Backbone Distributions
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0