Gladiolus floribundus Jacq.

Plants 250-450 mm high, with dull purple cataphylls usually mottled with green or white. Corm ± globose, 20-40 mm diam.; tunics of medium to coarsely textured fibres, accumulating in a mass. Stem flexed outward above sheath of uppermost leaf, inclined above, usually 1-or 2-branched. Leaves 6 to 8, lower 4 to 6 basal, reaching to ± base of spike but often flaccid and arching downward, lanceolate 12-20 mm wide, cauline leaves decreasing in size. Spike strongly inclined to nearly horizontal, flexuose, 3-to 8(13)-flowered; bracts dull green to grey-purple, outer (34-)40-50(-65) mm long, inner shorter or ± as long, minutely notched apically. Flowers cream-coloured or pale greenish yellow to ivory-coloured, rarely pale pink, all tepals or excepting dorsal with a broad streak of darker colour along midline, unscented; perianth tube obliquely funnel-shaped, 40-60(-70) mm long, cylindric lower part 25-35(-55) mm long; tepals lanceolate to elliptic, obtuse to retuse, margins usually undulate, dorsal largest, inclined over stamens, 30-45 x 16-20 mm, upper laterals 25-46 x 13-18 mm, lower tepals 18-29 x 7.5-10.0 mm, lower median slightly longer than laterals, up to 38 mm long. Filaments 20-22 mm long, exserted 4-10 mm from tube; anthers 6-9 mm long, purple; pollen cream-coloured to purple-brown. Style arching over stamens, dividing between middle and apex of anthers, branches ± 6 mm long. Capsules oblong-ellipsoid, 3-sided, 30-40 mm long. Seeds oval, 9-14 x 7-10 mm, broadly and evenly winged.