Dingy gladiolus
Gladiolus atropurpureus

Family: Iridaceae

What it is like

A slender herb. It grows 30 cm high. It grows from a corm. The corm has thickened fibres around it. The corms are 2-3 cm across. The leaves develop separately after flowering. There are 3-4 leaves on the flowering stem. They form a sheath around the stem or have blades 5 cm long. There are single leaves on no flowering plants and these are 15-20 cm long. There are 5-10 flowers on a flowering stalk. The flowers are dull purple. The fruit is a capsule 12-18 mm long

There are about 180 Gladiolus species.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in most places across the savannah in West Africa. It is often in rocky places.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo, East Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal, Tanzania, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The corms are eaten in soup.

The corms are sold in markets.

Edible parts

Corm, root

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Gladiolus caerulescens Baker; Gladiolus flexuosus Baker; Gladiolus gracilicaulis G. J. Lewis; Gladiolus luridus Welw. ex Baker; Gladiolus whytei Baker; Gladiolus unguiculatus Baker; ?