Gladiolus bullatus Thunb. ex G.J.Lewis

Plants 450-1000 mm high, with minutely puberulous cataphylls. Corm ovoid, 10-20 mm diam.; tunics hard and woody, usually splitting below into thick claw-like ribs. Stem erect and ± straight, lightly flexed outward above sheaths of upper 3 leaves and at base of spike, unbranched. Leaves (3)4, lowermost reaching to ± middle of stem, usually largely sheathing, linear, ± 2 mm wide, main vein heavily thickened, margins lightly thickened, thus oval in section with two narrow grooves on each surface, upper leaves progressively shorter, mostly sheathing, sheaths of all leaves overlapping. Spike inclined, 1-or 2-flowered; bracts brownish purple to grey, attenuate, lightly ridged along veins, outer 30-37(-70) mm long, inner similar but shorter. Flowers inflated and bell-like, often slightly flattened, blue to violet, darker on reverse of upper tepals, whitish within, lower tepals lightly spotted with purple in lower half, lower laterals with yellow marginal marks or transverse band in upper third, lowermost with yellow median streak, unscented; perianth tube 10-16 mm long, obliquely funnel-shaped, geniculate, erect and cylindric below for 5-8 mm long, bent at right angles in middle and flaring abruptly; tepals with upper broadly obovate, lower oblanceolate, dorsal largest, extended horizontally over stamens, 25-35 x 20-28 mm, upper laterals slightly shorter and curved slightly outward apically, lower 3 united with upper laterals for 4-10 mm and together for ± 2 mm, laterals 20-32 x 10-18 mm, cupped with apices directed forward, lower median slightly shorter, 18-22 x 12-16 mm. Filaments 12-14 mm long, exserted from tube for 3-6 mm; anthers 7-10 mm long, reaching to middle of dorsal tepal, white to grey-blue; pollen cream-coloured. Style arching over stamens, dividing near anther apices, branches ± 3 mm long. Capsules narrowly ovoid, obtuse, 18-20 mm long, concealed in bracts. Seeds ovate, pointed at one end, 4-5 x 3 mm, broadly and evenly winged.