Gladiolus candidus

Family: Iridaceae

What it is like

A herb. It grows 20-40 cm high. It has a round corm. This is 12-25 mm wide. There are 2-3 leaves. They are narrowly sword shaped and 5-10 mm wide at the widest. The spike has 2-4 flowers. They are white and can have a purple streak in the middle. The fruit is a capsule 18-22 mm long.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. In Somalia it occurs between 50-800 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Bedhah, Djibouti, East Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Middle East, Oman, Somalia, Tanzania, Yemen

How it is used for food

The young shoots are cooked and eaten. The corm is cooked by stir-frying and eaten.

The corms are popular.

Edible parts

Corm, root

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Engula

Synonyms

Acidanthera candida Rendle; Gladiolus ukambanensis (Baker) Marais;