Gladiolus communis

Gladiolus communis, the eastern gladiolus,^[2] or common corn-flag,^[3][4] 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,^[4] and widely naturalised in frost-free locations elsewhere – such as coastal parts of the southwestern British Isles.^[5]

Gladiolus communis
Gladiolus communis, Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Iridaceae
Genus:	Gladiolus
Species:	G. communis
Binomial name
Gladiolus communis L.[1]

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.^[6][7][8]

• 
  G. communis subsp. byzantinus