Gladiolus caryophyllaceus

Gladiolus caryophyllaceus blooms in late winter to mid-spring on the west coast from Malmesbury to Clanwilliam and Nieuwoudtville. This plant was photographed in August near Clanwilliam. The habitat is sandstone flats, slopes and plateaus.

The pink afrikaner or sandpypie (little sand tube) in Afrikaans, is a robust perennial geophyte that produces four to six hairy, sword-shaped leaves, up to 2,5 cm wide. Leaf margins are thick, sometimes red.

This plant is naturalised in Western Australia where methods of controlling its spread have been devised (Manning, 2009; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984).