Weeds of Australia - Fact Sheet

Top Scientific Name Synonyms Family Common Names Origin Naturalised Distribution Notes

Scientific Name

Gladiolus communis L. subsp. byzantinus (Mill.) A.P. Ham.

Synonyms

Gladiolus byzantinus Mill.
Gladiolus communis L.
Gladiolus illyricus Koch ex Sturm (misapplied)

Family

Iridaceae

Common Names

Byzantine gladiolus, cornflag

Origin

Native to parts of southern Europe (i.e. Italy, Corsica and Spain) and northern Africa (i.e. northern Algeria, northern Libya, Morocco and Tunisia).

Naturalised Distribution

Naturalised in many parts of southern Australia (i.e. in southern Victoria, Tasmania, south-eastern South Australia and in the coastal districts of south-western Western Australia).

Also naturalised overseas in some parts of eastern USA (i.e. in Kentucky and Tennessee).

Notes

Byzantine gladiolus (Gladiolus communis subsp. byzantinus) is regarded as a minor environmental weed in Victoria and Tasmania. It also grows along roadsides and around old settlements in between Busselton and Augusta in south-western Western Australia.