Gladiolus angustus L.

Plants 0.6-1.2 m high, with cataphylls obscurely mottled with green or white. Corm ± globose, 14-20 mm diam.; tunics papery, fragmenting irregularly. Stem erect or inclined, flexed outward above sheaths of 2 cauline leaves, simple or branched. Leaves 4 or 5, lower 2 or 3 basal and reaching or shortly exceeding spike, narrowly lanceolate, (3-)5-10 mm wide, main vein lightly thickened, margins narrowly hyaline, cauline leaves shorter. Spike flexed at base, inclined, weakly flexuose, (3)5-to 9-flowered; bracts with outer (30-)50-65(-80) mm long, pale green sometimes flushed reddish, inner shorter to ± as long, minutely forked. Flowers cream-coloured to pale yellow, lower 3 tepals with spade-shaped yellow marking in midline outlined in dark red, unscented; perianth tube cylindric, expanded in upper 10 mm, (45-)60-110 mm long; tepals lanceolate, dorsal largest, 32-40 x 16-18 mm, extended ± horizontally over stamens, upper laterals 28-38 x 10-13 mm, extending forward, curving outward distally, 3 lower tepals 25-30 x 9-10 mm, extending forward and nearly horizontal, in profile shorter than upper tepals. Filaments 17-24 mm long, exserted 8-12 mm from tube; anthers 9-11 mm long, whitish; pollen cream-coloured. Style extending over stamens, dividing just below anther apices, branches 6-8 mm long. Capsules ellipsoid, acute, (25-)35-40 mm long. Seeds ovate, 8-9 x 5-6 mm, broadly and evenly winged.