Gladiolus atropictus Goldblatt & J.C.Manning

Plants 340-600 mm high. Corm conic, ± 15 mm diam.; tunics firm-papery, fragmenting into firm strips or fairly coarse fibres. Stem erect, flexed outward above sheaths of upper 3 leaves, inclined in upper 1/3, unbranched. Leaves 4, lower 2 basal, lowermost sheathing lower 1/2 of stem, reaching to between middle and upper 1/3 of stem, linear, 1.5-2.0 mm wide, margins and main vein moderately thickened, second leaf sheathing stem to about upper third, blade shorter than basal, upper 2 leaves much shorter, lower margins united around stem. Spike flexuose, 1-or 2-flowered, inclined; bracts dull greenish grey with broad membranous margins, outer 26-35 mm long, inner slightly shorter, acute or minutely notched apically. Flowers deep mauve to violet, lower 3 tepals pale yellow in lower 1/2 feathered with dark violet, strongly scented of freesias and violets; perianth tube obliquely funnel-shaped, ± 13 mm long, lower cylindric part enclosed in bracts; tepals lanceolate-attenuate, upper 3 larger than lower, subequal or dorsal largest, dorsal 30-33 x ± 16 mm, horizontal and concave, upper laterals 28-30 x 12-14 mm, curving outward distally, lower 3 tepals joined to upper laterals for ± 10 mm, slightly narrowed and channelled in lower 1/2, lower laterals 18 x 8 mm, lower median longer than lower laterals, ± 21 x 9 mm, all curving outward distally. Filaments ± 12 mm long, exserted 5-8 mm from tube but concealed in flower; anthers 10-11 mm long, pale cream-coloured; pollen whitish. Style arching over stamens, branching just below anther apices, branches ± 3.5 mm long. Capsules and seeds unknown.