Gladiolus miniatus Seeds (Sow autumn or winter) Bulbous plant from South Africa

Gladiolus (from Latin, the diminutive of gladius, a sword) is a genus of flowering plants in the iris family (Iridaceae). Sometimes called the sword lily, the most widely-used English common name for these plants is simply gladiolus (plural gladioli or gladioluses).

The genus Gladiolus contains about 260 species, of which 250 are native to sub-Saharan Africa, mostly South Africa. About 10 species are native to Eurasia. There are 160 species of Gladiolus endemic in southern Africa and 76 in tropical Africa.

The fragrant flower spikes are large and one-sided. They make very good cut flowers.

 Gladiolus miniatus grows to 40cm tall. It has a fan of 4 leaves and has long wide-necked cream to salmon pink flowers with dark stripes. It flowers in spring.  It is best sown from seed in autumn or winter.