Cornflag

Gladiolus communis is a garden escape. In regional floras it is sometimes confused with the southern African G. papilio Hooker; the resemblance is entirely superficial. Plants of G. communis found in North America have traditionally been treated as G. byzantinus, which differs little from G. communis except in degree of robustness. Distinction at even subspecific rank does not seem warranted.

Plants 50–100 cm. Corms tunicate, ca. 20 mm diam.; tunic coriaceous, fragmenting into irregular pieces, rarely ultimately becoming fibrous. Stems simple. Leaves ± reaching base of spike; blade plane, lanceolate, sometimes narrowly so, 5–22 mm wide. Spikes 10–20-flowered; spathes unequal, outer 25–35(–50) mm, inner ± 2/3 outer. Flowers unscented, weakly distichous; perianth tube obliquely funnel-shaped, 10–12 mm; tepals reddish purple with narrow median white streak on outer 3 tepals, unequal, dorsal tepal 30–40 × 14–19 mm, inner lateral tepals joined to outer tepals for ca. 3 mm, 28–35 mm, outer 3 tepals connate for ca. 2 mm, outer lateral tepals 18–25 mm, outer median tepal 24–28 mm; filaments 12–15 mm; anthers 10–13 mm; style branching opposite distal 1/3 of anthers; branches ca. 2 mm. Capsules oblong, 18–24 mm. Seeds broadly winged, 4–6 mm diam.

Flowering May--Jul. Roadsides, abandoned gardens, disturbed sites; introduced; Ala., Ark., Ga., Ky., La., Miss., N.C., S.C., Tenn., Tex.; sw Europe, n Africa.

Gladiolus byzantinus Miller; G. communis subsp. byzantinus (Miller) A. P. Hamilton

Gladiolus communis, the eastern gladiolus, or common corn-flag, is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae, native to temperate northern Africa, western Asia and southern Europe, from the Mediterranean to the Caucasus, and widely naturalised in frost-free locations elsewhere – such as coastal parts of the southwestern British Isles.

It is a vigorous cormous herbaceous perennial growing to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) tall with linear leaves and bright pink flowers in spring. Two subspecies are identified:

G. communis subsp. communis G. communis subsp. byzantinus (Mill.) A. P. Ham.

In cultivation the latter has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

G. communis subsp. byzantinus