Gladiolus (Gladiolus spp)
- Gladiolus is grown for its attractive flower spike having florets of huge form, dazzling colour and varying sizes, with long vase life.
- Gladiolus is a plant that belongs to the same family as lily and has attractive flowers.
- Their ability to remain fresh for a long time after being picked has brought gladiolus to the forefront of ornamental plants.
- Gladiolus holds a prominent place among flowers used for cut decoration.
- Their stems are generally unbranched, producing 1 to 9 narrow, sword-shaped, longitudinal grooved leaves, enclosed in a sheath.
- These flowers are variously coloured, pink to reddish or light purple with white, or white to cream or orange to red contrasting markings.
- Gladioli are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Large Yellow Underwing.
- Gladioli make very good cut flowers. However, due to their height, the cultivated forms frequently tend to fall over in the wind if left on the plant.
