Sword Lily (Gladiolus), fam. Iridaceae.
   Grown in the garden beds of the city, blooms in July. This is a perennial plant, forming corms (bulbotubers), which can be damaged by strong frosts. There are thousands of sorts of this flower. Interestingly, many centuries ago it was considered a weed (probably, its flowers were quite small), as well as edible and medicinal plant – its corms ground in flour were added to bread, and the infusion from its leaves, rich in vitamins, has tonic properties.

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