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Gladiolus permeabilis edulis

Common name:		Family:	Iridaceae
Author:	(Bercht)Oberm.	Botanical references:	1
Synonyms:	Gladiolus edulis
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	S. Africa - Cape Province.
Habitat:	Stony ground[42].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	edulis = edible
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Liliales. Iris family

Physical Characteristics

Corm growing to 0.5m. It is hardy to zone 9. It is in flower from August to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Root.

Corm - cooked[46, 61]. The roasted bulb tastes like chestnuts[2].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Prefers a sunny sheltered position in a light sandy neutral to slightly acid soil[1, 200]. Requires a stony gritty loam.
This plant is sometimes considered to be a distinct species, G. edulis.
It is said to inhibit the growth of legumes[54].

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse at 15° c[200]. It usually germinates freely[1]. The seed can also be sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a warm greenhouse[200]. Sow the seed thinly so that the seedlings can be grown on in the pot without disturbance for their first year, giving them an occasional liquid feed to ensure they do not become nutrient deficient. Pot up the small bulbs when they are dormant in the autumn, placing about 2 - 3 bulbs in each pot. Grow them on for another year or two in the greenhouse and then plant them out in late spring.
Division. Dig up the corms in October, dry them in well ventilated conditions at about 20° c and then store them in a cool but frost-free place over the winter, planting them out about 10cm deep in April[1, 200].
Cormlets harvested when digging up the corms in the autumn can be stored in a similar manner to the corms[200]. Larger cormlets can be planted out in spring, smaller ones may be best grown on for a year in the greenhouse.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Iridaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[42] Grey. C. H. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate. 1938
Rather dated now, but an immense work on bulbs for temperate zones and how to grow them. Three large volumes.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[54] Hatfield. A. W. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd 1977 ISBN 0-584-10141-4
Interesting reading.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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