Gladiolus carneus D.Delaroche

Plants 200-600(-800) mm high, with cataphylls purple with cream-coloured or greenish spots. Corm ± globose, 15-20 mm diam.; tunics papery, fragmenting irregularly or becoming ± fibrous. Stem erect, inclined or drooping, simple, occasionally with 1(2) branches. Leaves 4 or 5, lower 2 or 3 basal, usually forming a fan or sometimes superposed, reaching at least to base of spike or longer, sometimes trailing, narrowly lanceolate to nearly linear, (2-)6-14(-19) mm wide, main vein and 1 or more secondary veins lightly thickened, margins narrowly hyaline, cauline leaves sometimes with short blade. Spike usually lightly flexed at base, inclined or erect, flowers nearly 2-ranked, (3)5-to 8(11)-flowered; bracts pale green or flushed grey, outer 35-45(-65) mm long, shorter than outer, acute or forked apically. Flowers white to pale or deep pink, lower tepals usually with pink to red spade-or diamond marks decurrent on tube, sometimes with linear median streaks, or unmarked, or with pale yellow blotches, tube often spotted or lined with red at base of throat, unscented; perianth tube narrowly funnel-shaped, (15-)25-38(-45) mm long, lower cylindric part 22-29 mm long, usually just emerging from bracts; tepals lanceolate, margins usually undulate or sometimes almost crisped, unequal, upper 3 largest, dorsal 28-40(-50) x 12-20(-30) mm, ascending, upper laterals slightly smaller, gently curving outward from base, lower 3 tepals sometimes joined to upper laterals for up to 6 mm, 25-30(-40) x 7-15 mm, nearly straight and horizontal or spreading distally, rarely somewhat spooned. Filaments 12-17(-25) mm long, exserted 5-10(-15) mm from tube; anthers 6-11 mm long, mauve; pollen cream-coloured or purple. Style arching over stamens, dividing between bases and apices of anthers, branches 4-8(-10) mm long. Capsules oblong-ellipsoid, 3-sided, obscurely 3-lobed above, 20-30 cm long. Seeds oblong, 7-9 x 5-6 mm, broadly and evenly winged.