Wild Gladiolus

Gladiolus caryophyllaceus

Quick facts

Life Cycle

Perennial (annually-renewed)

Growth form

Geophyte

Origin

South Africa

Primary Reproduction

Seed and cormels

Names

Other common names: Pink gladiolus, pink gladdies, pink trumpet flower, or Pink Afrikaner (South African name)

Synonyms: Antholyza caryophyllacea

Form and function

Wild gladiolus is an annually renewed corm. It reproduces by seed and vegetative growth (daughter corms). Seeds are typically wind dispersed. From seed, plants take approximately 6 months to mature. Height ranges from 0.2m to 0.8m.

Plants usually survive fire due to the corm underground. However, burning may break dormancy and trigger abundant flowering.

Flowers

Large and strongly scented (clove or carnation‑like)
Colour ranges from light to deep pink, mauve or reddish
Funnel‑shaped with a long, curved floral tube
Floral segments unequal, with distinctive markings
Lower three segments often marked with deep pink lines or spots
Flower stem upright, robust and unbranched
Flowering stems carry about 2 to 10 blooms
Stamens curved and positioned to one side of the flower
Style slender and divided into three branches

Fruits

Dry capsule that is ellipsoid to ovoid in shape
Capsule papery to leathery in texture
Splits lengthwise at maturity
Contains many seeds
Seeds flat, papery and winged, aiding dispersal

Leaves

Leaves arise from the base of the plant
Usually four to five leaves present
Shape linear to lance‑like or sword‑shaped, 15–40 cm long and 6–15 mm wide
Greenish‑grey to bluish‑green colour
Texture is tough and sometimes slightly hairy
Prominent central vein visible
Margins often tinged reddish to purple
Leaves sometimes spirally twisted

Roots

Underground corm globose to ovoid, 2–4 cm in diameter
Outer layers become fibrous to papery as they mature
A new 'daughter' corm grows from the parent corm, exhausting it.
Cormels form around the base of the daughter corm.

Habitat

Prefers fast draining grey or white sands and loamy soils and is most common on disturbed, nutrient poor sandy sites.

History

Wild gladiolus is a garden escape which has spread from cultivation. It has been established in south-west Western Australia for more than 70 years.

G. caryophyllaceus isn't the only Gladioli to have escaped from cultivation in Western Australia. 'Gladdies' are a popular garden plant and many varieties remain to be sold in nurseries and garden centres despite their weedy tendencies.

May be confused with...

Similar non-native species: other Gladiolus species, including G. undulatus (also Wild Gladiolus) and G. angustus (Long Tubed Painted Lady)

Different species of Gladioli may be confused prior to flowering, but they are easily distinguished when in flower. See image displayed here of a flowering Gladioulus undulatus.

How to control

Physical

Chemical

Managerial

Physical

For small infestations or individual plants, manual removal can be carried out when plants are actively growing and easily visible. Ensure the entire corm is removed, as fragments left in the soil may resprout. Flowers, seeds and cormels should all be removed and securely bagged to prevent spread during disposal.

Tips for pulling gladi: Grab plant from the base and wiggle to loosen the soil. Gently pull plant up, continuing to wiggle. The aim is to pull the entire plant with all corm material intact. The parent corm desiccates as the daughter corm grows and will more readily detach as it exhausts.

Chemical

For smaller infestations or individual plants, wipe the leaves using a sponge or wick soaked in a mix of 1L glyphosate (450g/L) and 2L of water, ensuring all the foliage is covered.

For dense infestations, using a foliar application method (e.g. tank and pump spray or backpack sprayer), apply a mix of 100mL glyphosate (450g/L) and 100mL of a surfactant with 10L of water, just on flowering at corm exhaustion.

For populations surrounded by natives, spot spray the foliage of the plants with a mix of 1.25g metsulfuron (600g/kg) and 100mL of a surfactant with 10L of water.

Death of mature corms can stimulate germination of smaller bulbs; follow‑up treatment will be required in the following season and is likely to be needed over the following seasons.

Managerial

Replant native shrub species if necessary. Avoid roadworks that carry new cormels into the area. Start control at the top of the catchment to stop cormels transported in water reinfesting treated areas.