Gladiolus venustus many-flowered clump

    Gladiolus venustus many-flowered clump
    Author: Ivan Lätti
    Photographer: Judd Kirkel Welwitch

    So many flowers in one clump of Gladiolus venustus are not seen every day! The pleasantly fragrant flowers in such numbers should make quite an impact upon visitors, the important ones, of course, the pollinators.

    This should result in increased daytime pollinator visitation prompted by flower colours, as well as by moths after dark. While moths are drawn by scent, they also respond to pale or reflective floral hues in dim light, such as the colours of these corollas. G. venustus flowers are variably fragrant, usually lightly rose-scented (Manning, 2007; Goldblatt and Manning, 1998; iNaturalist; https://www.worldfloraonline.org).

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