Gladiolus brevifolius Jacq.

Plants (120-)250-550(-850) mm high, with cataphylls usually dry and dull purple and minutely pubescent on veins. Corm globose, 18-35 mm diam.; tunics leathery, decaying into fairly coarse fibres, often thicker below. Stem lightly flexed outward above sheath of uppermost leaf, unbranched. Leaves (1)3, not overlapping, 40-70 mm long, all largely to entirely sheathing, occasionally with short blades up to 40 mm long, linear, smooth or sparsely and shortly pubescent; foliage leaf produced later in season, solitary, linear to narrowly lanceolate, pubescent (rarely glabrous), dry and decayed at flowering time or lacking. Spike slightly inclined, lightly flexuose, 8-to 12(16)-flowered; bracts grey-green, flushed purple, (15-)18-22 mm long, inner slightly shorter than outer, notched apically. Flowers pale to deep pink, sometimes cream-coloured, light mauve or greenish grey, usually tepals more darkly coloured distally, lower tepals with yellow transverse to obscure median band, sometimes edged in darker pink or with a median dark streak when tepals pale, unscented or with a strong sweet rose scent; perianth tube obliquely funnel-shaped, 11-13 mm long, narrow lower part 6-7 mm long; tepals lanceolate, dorsal largest, 19-29 x 10-20 mm, upper laterals 14-25 x 8-15 mm, lower tepals joined to upper laterals for 2-5 mm and together for 2.0-3.5 mm, free parts 12-22 x 5-6 mm. Filaments 10-15 mm long, exserted 7-9 mm from tube but enclosed by tepals; anthers (4-)6-8 mm long, cream-coloured; pollen pale yellow. Style dividing at or just beyond anther apices, branches ± 3 mm long. Capsules ellipsoid, 16-22 mm long. Seeds oval, 7-8 x 4 mm, broadly and evenly winged.