Plural of gladiola; tall flowering plants with sword-shaped leaves and colorful spike flowers, commonly used in bouquets.
From Latin 'gladiolus,' diminutive of 'gladius' (sword), named for the blade-like leaves. The plant genus was formalized in Linnaean taxonomy.
Gladiolas are literally named after swords because their leaves look like tiny blades—Linnaeus, the botanist who named them, loved Latin wordplay and saw plant shapes as works of art.
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