Commercially important flowers grown in Nepal - II

Gladiolus

Gladiolus (Gladiolus spp) belongs to family Iridaceous. This large group consists of about 250 to 300 species of gorgeous, tender perennial corms, which are mainly natives of South Africa, although some are found wild in west and central Europe, the Mediterranean to southwest and central Asia, and northwest and east Africa. The name Gladiolus is Latin for small sword and refers to the shape of the leaves, thus these plants have been commonly called Sword Lilies and Corn Lilies.

There are different types of Gladiolus available in the Nepali market such as American Beauty, Berlew, Bush balland, Camalton etc. In the Nepalese market two types of Gladiolus i.e. single and double are widely available. The demand of the Gladiolus is 3,500-4,500 sticks per day. It can be cultivated around 10,000-120,000 plants in a ropani. Around 800,000 sticks per annum are produced. It is estimated that 340 ropani is being used for cultivation. It is the largest grown cut flower in Nepal which occupies the top position with 70% of all sales.[Gauchan et.al. (2009) Current Status of Cut Flower Business in Nepal Kathmandu University Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology, vol.5, no.1, pp. 87-98.]