Gladiolus woodii

Gladiolus woodii, commonly known by its Swazi name, sidvwana, grows an annual flower spike to 60 cm from a perennial corm of 3 cm in diameter. This perennial, underground plant part becomes 3 cm in diameter and is covered in a fibrous tunic.

The plant sometimes grows only one annual leaf from the base, as long as the flower stem. This happens after flowering. The leaf has a prominent midrib and margins. There are smaller leaves on the flower stem as well, becoming 26 cm long.

The plant is found in the north-east of South Africa, in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Limpopo and the far east of the Free State, as well as in Eswatini.

The habitat is grassland on rocky hillsides at elevations between 800 m and 2000 m. This is a notable Drakensberg grassland plant. The species is not considered threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century.

Some of todays popular garden hybrids have this plant as an ancestor (Goldblatt and Manning, 1998; Pooley, 1998; Trauseld, 1969; www.redlist.sanbi.org).