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Gladiolus benguellensis Baker

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Synonyms:	Gladiolus longanus Harms Gladiolus macrophlebius Baker Gladiolus malangensis Baker Gladiolus paxii Klatt Gladiolus pubescens Pax Gladiolus pubescifolius G.J.Lewis Tritonia tigrina Pax
Common names:
Frequency:	Rare
Status:	Native
Description:	Plants 35-60 cm high. Corms dark-red, c. 10 mm in diameter, globose to horizontally elongate, often rhizome-like, 15-25 mm long, the old Corms sometimes persistent and then attached horizontally; tunics reddish-brown, membranous, fragmenting irregularly. Foliage leaves 4-6, the basal longer than the others, usually with blades well-developed and reaching to about the base of the spike, 5-9 mm wide, narrowly lanceolate, glabrous to pubescent, sometimes with a dense appressed short pubescence, the margins and midribs moderately to heavily thickened and hyaline, sometimes other veins also somewhat thickened; the upper 1-2 cauline leaves usually entirely sheathing. Stem unbranched, erect. Spike 3-8-flowered, erect; bracts green, 20-30 mm long, often somewhat attenuate and dry apically, the inner about two-thirds as long as the outer. Flowers either scarlet-red with the lower tepals each with a median white stripe, or occasionally entirely yellow; perianth tube c. 15 mm long, expanding uniformly from base to apex, curving outward in the upper half; tepals unequal, the uppermost 18-21 × c. 12 mm, larger than the others and ascending to nearly horizontal, the upper lateral tepals c. 20 mm long, the lower 3 tepals 16-18 × c. 6 mm, more or less straight and held at 45 degrees to the ground. Filaments 5-8 mm long, included or barely exserted; anthers 7-8 mm long. Style dividing opposite the upper half of the anthers, style branches 3-4 mm long. Capsules 14–22 mm long, narrowly obovoid to ellipsoid.
Type location:	Angola
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	benguellensis: from Benguella in Angola, where the type specimen was collected
Habitat:	Permanently or seasonally marshy sites
Altitude range: (metres)
Flowering time:	Sep - Jan
Worldwide distribution:	Angola, DRC and Zambia
FZ divisions:	W
Zambian distribution (Provinces):	Nw,Cb
Growth form(s):	Perennial.
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Images last updated:	Tuesday 17 March 2026
Literature:	Goldblatt, P. (1993). Iridaceae Flora Zambesiaca 12(4) Pages 95 - 97.

Other sources of information about Gladiolus benguellensis:

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Gladiolus benguellensis
African Plant Database: Gladiolus benguellensis
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Gladiolus benguellensis
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Gladiolus benguellensis
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Gladiolus benguellensis
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Gladiolus benguellensis
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Gladiolus benguellensis
JSTOR Plant Science: Gladiolus benguellensis
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Gladiolus benguellensis
Plants of the World Online: Gladiolus benguellensis
Tropicos: Gladiolus benguellensis
Wikipedia: Gladiolus benguellensis

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