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Aunt Eliza Rat's Rail

Gladiolus (glad-ee-OH-lus)

Family: Iridaceae Non-native Herbaceous (3-15 ft)

Sword lily is a genus of flowering bulbs in the Iridaceae (iris) family. The plant is distinguished by long, sword-shaped green leaves in upright fans and funnel-shaped flowers on slender stalks that open one at a time from bottom to top. The genus, which hails from Africa, Madagascar, and Eurasia, includes over 300 species in a range of flower colors. Sword lilies prefer full to afternoon sun, protection from strong winds, and rich, well-drained soil; however, they will adapt to most soils except heavy clay. They thrive in damp borders so do not allow soils to dry out. Depending on the variety, the bulbs may need to be dug and stored over winter. The hardy varieties just need a good layer of mulch to over winter. The flowers bloom in showy spikes in a variety of colors late summer into fall. Many cultivars are available. The flowers are fragrant and are excellent cut flowers. Make consecutive plantings to extend the flowering season. Sword lilies also grow well in containers and in garden borders. Diseases, Insects, and Other Plant Problems: Susceptible to Botrytis, crown rot, rust, wilt, and mosaic virus. Watch for aphids, mealy bugs, spider mites, and thrips. If thrips or fungus were a problem during the growing season, consider treating corms with an insecticide or fungicide prior to storage. VIDEO Created by Elisabeth Meyer for "Edibles, Bulbs, and Houseplants", a plant identification course developed in partnership with Longwood Gardens.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 60 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Often confused with Babiana nervosa Hesperantha Hesperantha coccinea Iris
Fills a similar niche Dianthus Dianthus caryophyllus Narcissus

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Bulb; Edible
Life cycle
Bulb
USDA zones
7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Wet
Available space
Less than 12 inches
NC region
Coastal; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Dense; Erect
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Rosulate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Linear
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Leaves 1–9; blade lanceolate to linear, plane or margins and/or midribs variously raised and thickened (then H- or X-shaped in cross section), or evidently terete, midribs and margins much thickened, grooved; grooves 4, narrow, longitudinal.
Flower color
Cream/Tan; Gold/Yellow; Green; Orange; Pink; Purple/Lavender; Red/Burgundy; White
Flower value
Edible; Fragrant; Good Cut; Showy
Flower form
Spike
Flower shape
Funnel
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Many cultivars with a variety of colors. Edible once anthers are removed. Bloom from late summer into early fall. Inflorescences spicate, partly to fully secund (on one side of the spike) or with flowers weakly distichous; bracts green, sometimes flushed grayish purple, unequal, outer usually exceeding inner, acute or inner forked or notched apically. Flowers zygomorphic [actinomorphic]; tepals basally connate into tube, variously colored, usually with contrasting markings comprising nectar guide on outer tepals, usually unequal, dorsal tepal largest, arched to hooded over stamens, outer 3 tepals narrower; perianth tube obliquely funnel-shaped to cylindric; stamens usually unilateral; anthers usually parallel; style usually arching over stamens, dividing into 3 filiform branches, these distally expanded.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit detail
Capsules usually slightly inflated, oblong to ellipsoid or globose [rarely nearly cylindric], softly cartilaginous. Seeds usually many, broadly winged; rarely few, wingless, globose or angular; seed coat light to dark brown.
Stem detail
Stems are simple or branched.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Africa, Madagascar, Eurasia
Attracts
Bees
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Flowers
Fruit type
Capsule

Edibility

Flowers (with anthers removed) are edible. Works best as a garnish or as a container for dip or spread.

Landscape Use
Landscape location
Container
Landscape theme
Cutting Garden; Edible Garden
Design feature
Border
Garden tags
#full sun tolerant #corm #summer bulbs #border planting #well-drained soil #edible flowers #edible garden #ebh #ebh-g #problem for dogs #problem for horses #problem for cats #cutting garden #partial shade tolerant #fragrant flowers #hortcontest
Problems & Resistance
Insect problems
Aphids on Ornamental Landscape Plants; Gladiolus Thrips; Bulb Mites; Potato Aphid on Ornamental Plants
Disease problems
Phytophthora Root and Crown Rot in the Landscape; Southern Blight of Herbaceous Ornamentals
Problems
Problem for Cats; Problem for Dogs; Problem for Horses
Propagation
Division
Poison severity
Low
Poison parts
Leaves; Roots
Poison symptoms
Salivation, vomiting, drooling, lethargy, diarrhea. Highest concentration in corms (bulbs)
Toxic principle
Unknown
Contact dermatitis
No
Toxicity summary
Low severity poison; parts: Leaves; Roots

Planted at Hunnicutt

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