Gladiolus inflexus Goldblatt & J.C.Manning

Plants (150-)200-350 mm high. Corm conic, 10-15 mm diam.; tunics hard and woody, splitting from below into claw-like segments. Stem sharply flexed outward above sheathing parts of each leaf, thus flexuose in upper 1/3. Leaves 3, lowermost basal and sheathing lower 1/2-2/3 of stem, reaching or slightly exceeding apex of spike, linear, 1-2 mm wide, grey-green, main vein paler and slightly raised, margins not raised or hyaline, cauline leaves short, reaching to ± middle of spike, sheathing in lower 1/3-1/2. Spike flexuose, 1-to 3-flowered; bracts grey-green, margins transparent, apices often attenuate and twisted, outer 20-38 mm long, inner slightly longer or slightly shorter, lower margins broadly hyaline. Flowers pale to dull purple with base of tepals and throat cream-coloured, lower tepals speckled to blotched with purple in lower 2/3, sweetly scented; perianth tube obliquely funnel-shaped, 11-20 mm long; tepals broadly lanceolate, dorsal largest, 21-25 x 14-15 mm, spreading above, upper laterals as long but slightly narrower than dorsal, lower 3 tepals joined to upper laterals for 3-5 mm and together for 3-4 mm, 15-25 x 10 mm, narrowed below, curving outward and downward. Filaments 12-14 mm long, exserted 3-8 mm from tube but included in flower; anthers 6-7 mm long, light purple-grey; pollen cream-coloured. Style arched over stamens, dividing opposite or just below anther apices, branches 2-3 mm long. Capsules oblong-ellipsoid, 15-22 mm long. Seeds ovate, 6-7 x 4-5 mm, broadly and evenly winged.