| Gladiolus patersoniae | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Iridaceae |
| Genus: | Gladiolus |
| Species: | G. patersoniae |
| Binomial name | |
| Gladiolus patersoniae Bolus f. | |
Gladiolus patersoniae is a herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the genus Gladiolus of the family Iridaceae, indigenous to the southern Cape regions of South Africa.
The flowers appear from late-winter to spring (populations at lower altitudes flower earlier). They are fragrant and can be a range of colours: blue, greyish, white or pink. The flower's corolla tube is short, and there is a band of yellow (often with darker outline) horizontally across the three bottom tepals. [1]
The leaves are thin, cylindrical quills. It usually produces only three leaves. The highest leaves sheath most of the stem, while the grooved lowest leaf is the longest, being at least as high as the inflorescence. The corm is rounded and small (2 cm) with a rough, fibrous tunic. [2] [3] [4]
The distribution of Gladiolus patersoniae extends from Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape, across the Little Karoo region, to as far west as the alluvial gravel plains around Worcester in the Western Cape. Its range extends south into the Overberg region as far as the coast near Cape Infanta.
This species usually occurs in Fynbos vegetation, in rocky mountainous or exposed hill-slope habitats. It is most common in sandstone-derived sands, and in areas of winter rainfall. [5]
Gladiolus is a genus of perennial cormous flowering plants in the iris family (Iridaceae).
Babiana is a genus of geophytes in the family Iridaceae with 93 recognized species as of March 2022. The leaves consist of a stalk and a blade that are at an angle to each other. The leaf blades are entire, laterally flattened and pleated, and often hairy. Each individual flower is subtended by two hairy or smooth bracts that are green in most species. The outer bract is often the largest of the two. In most species the bracts have a dry, brown tip, but in a few species it is entirely green or entirely dry when flowering or the outer bract is translucent and has a papery texture. The inner bract is forked or split all the way to its base. Each flower is without a pedicel, with six tepals that are merged at their base into a tube and form a perianth that is mirror-symmetrical in most species, with three anthers implanted where the perianth tube widens and that are, in almost every species, clustered at one side of the style. The style has three branches that widen towards the tip and the ovary is inferior. Flowers occur in almost every conceivable colour, many have markings on some of the tepals, and few star-symmetrical flowers have a centre that strongly contrasts with the free part of the perianth. The majority of these species are endemic to the west and southwest of South Africa, and southwestern Namibia, but one species occurs elsewhere in Namibia and South Africa and another species can be found in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The genus name is derived from the Dutch word baviaan, referring to the Chacma baboon, Papio ursinus, that consumes the corms of plants in the genus. The genus is called bobbejaantjie in Afrikaans, meaning small baboon.
Haemanthus is a Southern African genus of flowering plants in the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. Members of the genus are known as blood lily and paintbrush lily. There are some 22 known species, native to South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Eswatini. About 15 species occur in the winter rainfall region of Namaqualand and the Western Cape, the remainder being found in the summer rainfall region, with one species Haemanthus albiflos occurring in both regions.
Haemanthus coccineus, the blood flower, blood lily or paintbrush lily, is a species of flowering plant in the amaryllis family Amaryllidaceae, native to Southern Africa. Growing to 35 cm (14 in) tall and wide, it is a bulbous perennial with short brown stems surmounted by red flowers, the flowers appearing in spring and summer, before the strap-shaped leaves.
Gibbaeum is a genus of about 21 species of small succulent plants of the family Aizoaceae, indigenous to the Little Karoo region of South Africa. The name "Gibbaeum" comes from the Latin gibbosus (hunchback)
Aloe ferox, commonly known as bitter aloe, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asphodelaceae. This woody aloe is indigenous to southern Africa. It is one of several Aloe species used to make bitter aloes, a purgative medication, and also yields a non-bitter gel that can be used in cosmetics.
Cyanella hyacinthoides is a species of cormous annual or perennial herb native to the western parts of South Africa.
Veltheimia capensis is one of two species of flowering plants belonging to the genus Veltheimia, of the family Asparagaceae. It is a tender bulbous perennial reaching a height of 46 cm (18 in), with flowers varying in color from white with red spots to pink with green or red markings.
Romulea tortuosa is a herbaceous perennial geophyte in the family Iridaceae native to South Africa. It has a small corm in the soil, a few prostrate coiling leaves, and fragrant, trimerous yellow flowers, sometimes with six brown blotches on the inside near the bottom of the flower.
Pteronia pallens is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, indigenous to the Karoo regions of South Africa. Its natural habitat is dry, rocky slopes. It often cooccurs with its close relatives, Pteronia paniculata or Pteronia incana.
Pteronia incana is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, indigenous to the Karoo regions of South Africa.
Acrodon is a genus of ice plants from South Africa. It comprises five species, mostly endangered and all restricted to the southern Cape regions of the Western Cape and Eastern Cape Provinces, South Africa.
Pteronia oppositifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, indigenous to the western Little Karoo and Overberg regions in the Cape Provinces of South Africa.
Euphorbia tuberosa, commonly known as '"milkball/melkbol"' or '"wilderamenas"', is a variable geophytic plant of the family Euphorbiaceae, indigenous to the western parts of South Africa.
Euphorbia rhombifolia is a species of flowering plant in the Euphorbiaceae family. It is native to Namibia and South Africa, where it is widespread in clay-rich soils, extending as far east as Kwazulu-Natal.
Drosanthemum lavisii is a succulent plant in the ice plant family, Aizoaceae, indigenous to the Overberg region of the Western Cape Province, South Africa.
Drosanthemum quadratum is a succulent plant in the ice plant family, Aizoaceae, indigenous to the Overberg region of the Western Cape Province, South Africa.
Ornithoglossum undulatum, also known as the Karoo Slangkop, is a species of flowering plant in the family Colchicaceae. It is found in Southern Namibia and South Africa. In South Africa its range extends as far east as Somerset East in Eastern Cape Province. O. undulatum is a poisonous plant, and consumption of the leaves can kill livestock.
Dianthus bolusii, called the mountain pink or bergangelier, is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae.
Dianthus thunbergii is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae.
