Gladiolus tristis
Encyclopedia
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 meter in height, but has been known to approach 1.5 meters tall. It grows from a corm
one or two centimeters 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 tepal
s with greenish or purplish midlines. The flowers are said to have a scent similar to carnations and clove
s. Not all individuals possess scent because the allele
for its presence is recessive in relation to the allele for its absence.
Gladiolus
Gladiolus is a genus of perennial bulbous flowering plants in the iris family...
known by several common names, including ever-flowering gladiolus and marsh Afrikaner. It is native to southern Africa, especially South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It is known in parts of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and coastal California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
as an introduced species. It is sometimes grown as a garden plant
Ornamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
. This gladiolus typically grows one half to one meter in height, but has been known to approach 1.5 meters tall. It grows from a corm
Corm
A corm is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ used by some plants to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat ....
one or two centimeters wide. It produces three narrow, sheathing leaves. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a spike of two to eight large, fragrant blooms. Each flower has six white or cream tepal
Tepal
Tepals are elements of the perianth, or outer part of a flower, which include the petals or sepals. The term tepal is more often applied specifically when all segments of the perianth are of similar shape and color, or undifferentiated, which is called perigone...
s with greenish or purplish midlines. The flowers are said to have a scent similar to carnations and clove
Clove
Cloves are the aromatic dried flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae. Cloves are native to the Maluku islands in Indonesia and used as a spice in cuisines all over the world...
s. Not all individuals possess scent because the allele
Allele
An allele is one of two or more forms of a gene or a genetic locus . "Allel" is an abbreviation of allelomorph. Sometimes, different alleles can result in different observable phenotypic traits, such as different pigmentation...
for its presence is recessive in relation to the allele for its absence.