Gladiolus robertsoniae

Gladiolus robertsoniae is a cormous perennial that reaches 20 cm to 40 cm in height. The globose corm is about 1,6 cm in diameter, covered in wiry, reticulate fibres.

The species distribution is in the northern Free State, the southeast of Gauteng and the southwest of Mpumalanga where the photo was taken.

The habitat is highveld grassland in the summer rainfall region in seeps and on streambanks where seasonal moisture is available, sometimes in rocky places such as dolerite outcrops. The habitat population is deemed near threatened early in the twenty first century, due to various forms of agriculture and mining (Goldblatt and Manning, 1998; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).