Gladiolus permeabilis subsp. permeabilis

Gladiolus permeabilis subsp. permeabilis, in Afrikaans the patrysuintjie (partridge nutsedge or small onion), is a slender herbaceous geophyte commonly growing to 25 cm in height, rarely 50 cm. The leaves and flowers grow annually from the corm covered in a fibrous tunic.

Subsp. permeabilis is found in the Western Cape from as far southwest as Caledon. The more widespread subspecies is edulis. The photographed plant was seen near Oudtshoorn flowering in August.

The habitat is fairly dry renosterveld in shale soils. The subspecies is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010; Goldblatt and Manning, 1998; www.pacificbulbsociety.org; http://redlist.sanbi.org).