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Gladiolus watsonioides
Also called Rift Gladiolus
Gladiolus watsonioides is a medium to high (½–1 m), herbaceous geophyte with sword-shaped leaves, flattened in the plain of the stem, and spikes of red funnel-shaped flowers, that is assigned to the iris family. In the wild, the species is restricted to the highlands of central Kenya and northern Tanzania, including on Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Range. It is sometimes called Mackinder's gladiolus.
Gladiolus watsonioides grows well in gritty and humus-rich compost in deep pots if kept in a frost-free greenhouse.
Mackinder's gladiolus is restricted to the highlands of central Kenya and northern Tanzania. In Kenya, it is known from Nakuru County, Fort Hall and Nyeri Districts, including Mount Kenya, while in Tanzania it can only be found in the Arusha and Mbulu Districts, including the Kilimanjaro and Meru, and on Mount Hanang.
Gladiolus aladagensis · Turkey-chick · Painted Lady · Gladiolus × byzantinus · New Year Lily · Blue Afrikaner · Hermanus Cliff Gladiolus · Broadleaf Painted Lady · Pink Afrikaner · Gladiolus · Cornflag · Thick-leaved gladiolus
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Gladiolus watsonioides 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.
