Common Name:

General Information

Gladiolus dalenii is an erect, robust, perennial plant growing from an underground corm that is up to 30mm in diameter. It produces 6 - 10 sword-shaped leaves up to 120cm long and a flowering stem around 70 - 120cm tallr[, ].
The plant is commonly used as a local source of food, medicines and a soap. It is gathered from the wild and also sometimes cultivated, including outside its native range in west Africa[, ]. The plant is also strikingly ornamental and widely cultivated in gardens - it has become a parent of many large-flowered ornamental forms[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Africa - most countries but absent from the Sahara and N. Africa, the Namibian desert and Somalia.

Habitat

Grassy places and open woods; at elevations up to 2,000 metres in Natal[]. Both dry and wet meadows, occasionally also in boggy places[]. Grassland, rocky ridges[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Corm
Height	1.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Gladiolus dalenii is native mainly to the seasonally dry tropical regions of Africa. It is found in areas with summer rainfall[].
Prefers a sunny sheltered position in a well-drained, light, sandy, neutral to slightly acid soil[, , ]. Requires a stony gritty loam.
A parent of some garden hybrids[].
The plant is said to inhibit the growth of legumes[].

Edible Uses

Corm - roasted[, ]. The starchy corms are boiled and then leached in water before consumption[]. The corm is pounded in water with guinea-corn flour[]. It can also be made into a cooling beverage[].

The anthers are removed and the flowers are eaten raw in salads, or cooked as a potherb[, ].

The flowers contain copious quantities of nectar and are often sucked by children[, ].

Medicinal

A decoction of the corm) is used in parts of West and southern Africa in preparations to cure both constipation and severe dysentery[, ]]. It is also highly esteemed in curing snake-bites[, ].

In southern Africa, the plant (under several synonyms) is a common component of the native herbalist's medicine horn (lenaka)[]. Its use in treating cases of diarrhoea and as a cold remedy are also documented[].

Other Uses

The corm is used as a soap substitute[].

Propagation

Seed -sow thinly in a pot and grow on without transplanting for the first year. Pot up the small bulbs when they are dormant[].
Division. Young corms can be separated from the parent plant and should be planted out 12 cm deep, spaced at 12cm. Deep planting helps the plants stay upright[].

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