Gladiolus ferrugineus Goldblatt & J.C.Manning

Plants 350-600(-800) mm high. Corm globose, 15-20 mm diam.; tunics leathery, decaying into medium-textured fibres. Stem erect below, flexed outward above sheaths of cauline leaves and inclined, unbranched. Leaves 6 to 8, lower 3 or 4 ± basal, reaching to between base and apex of spike, narrowly lanceolate to linear, (3-)5-8(-15) mm wide, twisted several times, fibrotic and tough, margins and main vein thickened and raised, sometimes heavily so, remaining veins poorly developed, cauline leaves progressively smaller, upper 2 largely sheathing. Spike inclined, 8-to 15(-27)-flowered; bracts greenish in bud becoming dry and rusty brown in upper 1/3 at anthesis and soon entirely dry, outer 20-30 mm long, attenuate-apiculate, inner shorter, yellowish green, forked apically. Flowers white, cream-coloured to pearl-grey or pale pink, flushed with pink or blue on fading, lower lateral tepals with faint cream-coloured to pale yellow blotches in midline, markings sometimes darkening to purple with age, unscented; perianth tube obliquely funnel-shaped, 12-16(-25) mm long; tepals ovate, dorsal arching over stamens, nearly horizontal, 18-25(-28) x 12-15 mm, broadest in lower 1/3, upper laterals directed forward, barely curving outward toward apices, 18-30 x 15 mm, lower 3 tepals united basally for 1.5-6.0 mm, laterals 12-20 x ± 9 mm, narrowed below for ± 1.5 mm into claws, limbs abruptly widened and channelled below, lower median 15-25 x ± 11 mm. Filaments 12-15 mm long, exserted 7-8 mm from tube; anthers 6-8 mm long, lilac to purple; pollen yellow. Style arching over stamens, dividing between middle and apex of anthers, branches 3-4 mm long. Capsules obovoid, 3-lobed above and retuse, (6-)10-15 mm long. Seeds oval, ± 3-4 x 2.5 mm, narrowly and evenly or unevenly winged.