All UK specimens of gladiolus communis are ssp byzantinus, a generally larger and more robust variety than the other subspecies, ssp communis.
Common name:
Eastern gladiolus
Family:
Scientific name:
Gladiolus communis
Main flower color:
Range:
Southwest England and the Channel Islands; an introduced species, from the Mediterranean
Height:
Up to 100 cm
Habitat:
Waste and cultivated land, roadsides, coastal regions
Flowers:
Orchid-like; three broad upper lobes, forming a loose hood, and three narrower lower lobes, angled downwards, and overlapping. Each lobe is around 3 cm long, coloured rich reddish pink. Flower stalks are enclosed by two sheathing grey-purple bracts (spathes), different in length. Flowers, numbering from 10 to 20, are arranged in an elongated, alternate, unbranched cluster
Leaves:
Hairless, narrowly lanceolate, up to 30 cm long and 1 cm wide
Season:
June to August
Rarity:
★★★★★
