Common Name:

General Information

Gladiolus cruentus is an erect, perennial plant growing from an underground corm, It produces sword-shaped leaves around 30 - 45cm long and a stout, flowering scape 60 - 90cm tall.
The plan is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southern Africa -KwaZulu-Natal (Drakensburg Mountains).

Habitat

Not known

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Corm
Height	0.75 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Gladiolus cruentus is native to the subtropics of eastern southern Africa. It is not a very cold-hardy species, though it is known to tolerate short periods with temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c[].
Prefers a sunny sheltered position in a light sandy neutral to slightly acid soil with a pH between 6.5 and 7[, ]. Requires a stony gritty loam.
A beautiful species in its own right, it is one of the parents of the cultivated garden gladiolas[].

Edible Uses

Flowers - raw or cooked. Added to salads or used as a boiled vegetable[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse at 15°c[]. It usually germinates freely[]. The seed can also be sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a warm greenhouse[]. Sow the seed thinly so that the seedlings can be grown on in the pot without disturbance for their first year, giving them an occasional liquid feed to ensure they do not become nutrient deficient. Pot up the small bulbs when they are dormant in the autumn, placing about 2 - 3 bulbs in each pot. Grow them on for another year or two in the greenhouse and then plant them out in late spring.
Division. Dig up the corms in early autumn, dry them in well ventilated conditions at about 20°c and then store them in a cool but frost-free place over the winter, planting them out about 10cm deep in mid spring[, ].
Cormlets harvested when digging up the corms in the autumn can be stored in a similar manner to the corms[]. Larger cormlets can be planted out in spring, smaller ones may be best grown on for a year in the greenhouse.