Gladiolus mosambicensis Baker

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Just before grassland plateau above Morumbodzi Falls, lower slopes Mt Gorongosa.

Photo: Bart Wursten
Western slopes of Mt Shangani above Mutandani Valley, eastern Chimanimani Mts.

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Synonyms:	Gladiolus gazensis Rendle
Common names:
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Perennial herb 30-40 cm tall, growing from a corm 1,8-3 cm in diameter; flowers produced before the leaves. Leaves narrowly sword-shaped. Flowering spike 10-15-flowered; floral bracts with rounded at the apex, 0,9-1,5 cm long. Flowers pink to purple; tube 0,8-0,9 cm long; dorsal tepal 1,6-1,8 cm long; anthers 0,6-0,8 cm long. Capsule obovoid, 1,2-1,6 cm long; seeds broadly winged.
Notes:	This species was long regarded as a form of Gladiolus crassifolius. It can be easily distinguished by the much more slender appearance with fewer, smaller flowers. It flowers before the rains, from August to November, often after the grass is burnt and before the leaves have developed.
Derivation of specific name:	mosambicensis: of Mozambique, where the type specimen was collected.
Habitat:	A grassland species, flowering early, especially after veld fires.
Altitude range:	800 - 1800 m
Flowering time:	Aug - Nov
Worldwide distribution:	Restricted Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
Mozambique distribution:	MS
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:	Near Endemic
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Content last updated:	Tuesday 29 June 2010
Literature:	Goldblatt, P. (1993). Iridaceae Flora Zambesiaca 12(4) Pages 68 - 70. Included under G. crassifolius (Includes a picture). Goldblatt, P. (1996). Gladiolus in Tropical Africa Timber Press. Portland, Oregon. Pages 94 - 98. Included under G. crassifolius (Includes a picture). Plowes, D.C.H. & Drummond, R.B. (1990). Wild Flowers of Zimbabwe. Revised edition. Longman, Zimbabwe. No. 19, plate 37 as Gladiolus gazensis Wursten, B., Timberlake, J. & Darbyshire, I. (2017). The Chimanimani Mountains: an updated checklist. Kirkia 19(1) Page 83.

Other sources of information about Gladiolus mosambicensis:

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Flora of Zimbabwe: Gladiolus mosambicensis

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Gladiolus mosambicensis
African Plant Database: Gladiolus mosambicensis
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Gladiolus mosambicensis
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Gladiolus mosambicensis
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Gladiolus mosambicensis
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Gladiolus mosambicensis
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Gladiolus mosambicensis
JSTOR Plant Science: Gladiolus mosambicensis
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Gladiolus mosambicensis
Plants of the World Online: Gladiolus mosambicensis
Tropicos: Gladiolus mosambicensis
Wikipedia: Gladiolus mosambicensis