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Gladiolus alatus
Gladiolus alatus is a species of geophyte from South Africa. Common names include painted ladies, king kalkoentjie and kipkippie. Kalkoentjie means "little turkey" in Afrikaans and refers to the shape of the flower, which resembles a turkey's wattle. It is popular as a garden plant and an important part of the cut flower industry in parts of the world on account of its large and showy orange flowers.
This species is endemic to South Africa. It is found from southern Namaqualand to the Cape Peninsula in the south and Caledon and Bredasdorp in the east. It is found growing on slopes with sandstone and granitic soils.
This species has commercial importance, both as a garden plant and in the cut flower industry. Several exotic cultivars are grown for commercial use, with some varieties (such as Pietmohlen and Florared) showing more desirable features than others. Pollen can be frozen for long-term storage.
Gladiolus aladagensis · Painted Lady · Gladiolus × byzantinus · New Year Lily · Blue Afrikaner · Hermanus Cliff Gladiolus · Broadleaf Painted Lady · Pink Afrikaner · Gladiolus · Cornflag · Thick-leaved gladiolus · Dragon's Head Lily
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Gladiolus alatus by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
