Gladiolus crispulatus L.Bolus

Plants slender, 300-400 mm high. Corm globose, 8-12 mm diam.; tunics of fine, netted fibres. Stem erect or inclined, unbranched. Leaves 4 or 5, superposed, lower 2 basal and reaching upper part of stem or shortly exceeding spike, linear, 1-3 mm wide, margins barely raised, main vein lightly thickened and usually paired on one side but single on other, cauline leaves progressively shorter and mainly sheathing. Spike flexed at base and lightly inclined, 2-to 4-flowered; bracts pale green, fairly soft-textured, outer 24-33 mm long, inner shorter, minutely bifid. Flowers deep pink, lower tepals with median dark red arrow-shaped streak and speckled with dark red toward base and in lower throat, base of throat red, unscented; perianth tube obliquely funnel-shaped, 20-26 mm long, widening in upper 8-10 mm; tepals lanceolate, margins undulate to lightly crisped, dorsal largest, 28-34 x 15-20 mm, arching over stamens, curving upward distally, upper laterals ± 30 x 16 mm, curving outward and spreading distally, lower 3 tepals joined to upper laterals for 6-8 mm and together for 1.5-3.0 mm, 20-25 x 8 mm, curving toward ground in distal 1/2. Filaments 14-19 mm long, exserted 5-9 mm from upper part of tube; anthers 8-11 mm long, lilac-pink; pollen whitish. Style arching over stamens, pink, dividing between upper 1/3 and slightly beyond apices of anthers, branches 3-5 mm long. Capsules and seeds unknown.