Gladiolus inflatus Thunb.

Plants (120-)200-450 mm high, with cataphylls sometimes scabrid above ground. Corm globose, 9-20 mm diam.; tunics usually ± woody, splitting below into claw-like ridges, sometimes cartilaginous becoming fibrous, sometimes forming slender collar around base of stem. Stem flexed outward above sheath of second leaf, unbranched. Leaves 3, lower 2 basal, lowermost sheathing stem only near ground or for a short distance, reaching to ± base of spike, sheath usually and blade sometimes retrorsely puberulous, terete to subterete with four hairline longitudinal grooves or rarely centric and cross-shaped in section with wide longitudinal grooves, straight or curving outward, ± 1 mm diam., second leaf sheathing lower 2/3 of stem, upper portion fairly short, sheath and blade sometimes puberulous, uppermost leaf sometimes reduced to a sheathing, bract-like scale 20-30 mm long, Spike flexed at base, lightly inclined, lightly flexuose, 2-or 3-flowered; bracts pale green to dull greenish grey, veins transparent, outer 18-26(-30) mm long, inner shorter to nearly as long as outer, acute. Flowers funnel-or slightly bell-shaped, deep pink to mauve, purple or violet, rarely white, lower tepals with dark spear-or ± spade-shaped purple to red marks in middle 1/3, sometimes throat ringed with red to purple, unscented; perianth tube obliquely funnel-shaped, 12-25(-30) mm long, lower cylindric part 5-12(-20) mm long; tepals with upper ovate, lower lanceolate to spathulate, dorsal largest, 22-27 x 12-17 mm, inclined to horizontal, upper laterals 20-24 x 12-14 mm, straight or recurved distally, lower 3 tepals united with upper laterals for 4-7 mm and sometimes together for ± 1 mm, 17-20 x 9-11 mm, straight or lightly curving downward distally. Filaments 12-18 mm long, exserted 5-11 mm from tube; anthers 7-9 mm long, grey-purple; pollen yellow. Style arching over stamens, dividing between middle and apex of anthers, branches 3-4 mm long. Capsules ellipsoid, subacute, 12-18 mm long. Seeds ovate, 5-6 x ± 4.5 mm, broadly and evenly winged.