The peacock orchid or Abyssinian star (Gladiolus callianthus Marais*) is native to east Africa ranging from Eritrea on the Red Sea to Mozambique in the south. The large and flashy florist's glads (varieties of the grandiflorus group) are the most familiar members of the genus, but there are about 250 species of Gladiolus. The genus is native to Europe, the Mediterranean, the Near East but especially to Africa. Glads belong to the Iridaceae, the iris family.

Abyssinian stars bloom in the late summer and early autumn. The leaves and flowering spike of Gladiolus arise from a corm, a modified subterranean stem. The flowering spike grows 60 to 80 centimeters (24 to 32 inches) tall. The flower is a narrow, arching tube that flares out like white wings. Color spots on the petals range from burgundy to chocolate-brown. The flowers are sweetly fragrant—the scent is described as haunting. It is thought the flowers are bird-pollinated.

Although Linnaeus made the generic name 'official', gladiolus dates back to the Roman Empire. Gladiolus is the diminutive of the Latin gladius, "sword", the same root word that gave Roman swordsmen the name gladiators. Glads are also known as sword-lilies. The species epithet, callianthus, was built from the Greek, kalos, "beautiful" and antheros, "blooming".

*Abyssinian star is sometimes offered for sale under the older botanical name, Acidanthera bicolor.