Gladiolus vinosomaculatus

Gladiolus vinosomaculatus, the winespot glad, is a perennial geophyte growing from a globose to flattened corm up to 3 cm in diameter. The cartilaginous to brittle, papery tunic of the corm tends to become fragmented.

The corolla of the G. vinosomaculatus is white, speckled dark maroon or purple. The specific epithet of vinosomaculatus refers to these maculate, claret-speckled tepal surfaces, as if wine had been spilt.

The throat of the perianth may be without speckles, dark or cream coloured. One of the two bracts of each flower, green, triangular and with margins curling in, towers over each flower.

The species distribution is in Mpumalanga, Gauteng and the extreme east of North West, from Barberton to the Magaliesberg; also in Swaziland. The habitat is grassland. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century.

This is a common garden plant used in the production of several cultivars. Near relatives of this plant are G. ecklonii and G. rehmannii (Goldblatt and Manning, 1998; Letty, 1962; iNaturalist; www.redlist.sanbi.org).