Gladiolus caryophyllaceus Poir.

Plants (0.45-)0.6-1.1 m high, with cataphylls usually pilose and often dry at flowering. Corm globose, 20-40 mm diam.; tunics of coarse vertical fibres. Stem unbranched, inclined above. Leaves 4 or 5, lower 1 to 3 basal, usually quite short and sometimes forming a loose fan, pilose, particularly on sheaths, lanceolate, 10-27 mm wide, margins, main and secondary veins raised and thickened, often flushed pink or purple, margins sometimes somewhat crisped, upper 2 leaves cauline, similar to basal but shorter. Spike (2)4-to 8-flowered; bracts pale green or greyish, 30-45(-70) mm long, inner slightly shorter, twisted, acute. Flowers pale to deep pink or mauve or cream-coloured, then more intensely pigmented along tepal midline, lower tepals and throat streaked with broken longitudinal lines and spots of white to cream-coloured and dark pink, usually sweetly carnation-scented; perianth tube obliquely funnel-shaped, 30-40 mm long, lower cylindric part 16-25 mm long; tepals lanceolate to elliptic or ovate, dorsal largest, ascending or weakly hooded over stamens, broadly oblanceolate, 37-45 x (13-)21-30 mm, upper laterals 30-35 x 18-25 mm, spreading gradually from base and flared outward distally, margins undulate, lower 3 tepals joined to upper laterals for 7-8 mm and together for 2-3 mm, 25-30 x 15-18 mm, not distinctly clawed, wider in distal 1/2, margins undulate. Filaments 22-27 mm long, exserted 8-9 mm from tube; anthers 10-14 mm long, cream-coloured; pollen yellow. Style arching over filaments, dividing slightly below to slightly beyond anther apices, branches 4-5 mm long. Seeds ovate, ± 10 x 7-8 mm, broadly and evenly winged.

Often invading native vegetation.