Gladiolus unguiculatus

Gladiolus unguiculatus is a perennial in the iris family, Iridaceae. It grows from an underground corm rather than a true bulb. Its native range covers a broad part of tropical Africa. It extends from Sierra Leone east to Sudan. Farther south, it reaches Angola, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Plants For A Future gives the narrower range of West Africa. Useful Tropical Plants records the wider range and describes wild plants.

The plant stands about 1–2 feet [0.3–0.6 metres] tall. Useful Tropical Plants also lists a height of 1.5 feet [0.45 metres]. These figures describe its size, not a confirmed garden range. Two or three sword-shaped leaves grow around a flowering stem. The underground corm measures about 0.05–0.08 feet [0.015–0.025 metres] across. The supplied sources give no flower colour or bloom season. They also give no fruit description. Plants For A Future records flowers with both male and female organs. Insects pollinate them.

Wild plants grow in savannah, meadows and wooded grassland. They also occur in open forest and on rock outcrops. Recorded sites include damp sand, shallow ground and hard-pan soils. Some sites stay humid for only part of the year. This range of habitats includes both open and wooded places. Plants For A Future lists sun or light shade as suitable. It states a preference for moist soil. It also lists sandy, loamy and clay soils as suitable. Its stated pH range runs from mildly acid to mildly alkaline.

Plants For A Future lists cultivated beds as a garden setting. Yet both sources lack detailed guidance on growing this species. Neither gives hardiness limits or a tested watering schedule. Seed is the only propagation method they name. No sowing steps or germination times accompany that entry. The supplied records name no pests or diseases. They do not describe spread or a rate of growth.

People gather the plant from the wild for food. The cooked corm supplies starch for porridge and soup. Plants For A Future gives it a low food-use rating. Both sources report no known hazards, but this is not proof of safety. Neither source lists a medicinal use or another practical use. Plants For A Future also records no weed potential.