Gladiolus buckerveldii (L.Bolus) Goldblatt

Plants 0.80-1.25 m high, trailing from cliffs, cataphylls usually light purple mottled pale green. Corm globose, 15-24 mm diam.; tunics soft-papery, soon decaying. Stem inclined to drooping, unbranched. Leaves 5 or 6, lower 3 or 4 basal, narrowly lanceolate, 25-35 mm wide, ± trailing distally, main vein and 1 or 2 pairs of secondary veins prominent, margins not thickened. Spike inclined or ± horizontal, strongly secund, 12-to 20-flowered; bracts fairly soft-textured, outer 50-80 mm long, reaching to between top of perianth tube and top of flower, inner bracts shorter, acute. Flowers ivory-coloured to creamy yellow, lower tepals with a spade-or heart-shaped dark red mark in centre, unscented; perianth tube 45-50 mm long, slender below, widening to 6-7 mm diam. in upper 1/2; tepals lanceolate, dorsal largest, 28-32 x 13 mm, extended horizontally, upper laterals ± 21 x 10 mm, curving outward ± from base, lower 3 much smaller, ± 12 x 6 mm, curving gradually outward. Filaments 25-28 mm long, exserted ± 10 mm from tube; anthers ± 10 mm long, cream-coloured turning to lilac; pollen cream-coloured. Style arching over stamens, dividing at or near anther tips, branches ± 5 mm long. Capsules oblong, obtuse, 22-26 mm long. Seeds oblong to slightly sigmoid, 8-9 x 3-4 mm, broadly winged at one end and sometimes weakly at opposite end but hardy at all on the sides.