Gladiolus marlothii G.J.Lewis

Plants 450-600 mm high, with cataphylls often purple, velvety when young. Corm globose, 16-22 mm diam.; tunics of coarsely textured fibres, accumulating in a dense mass. Stem normally erect or slightly inclined, unbranched. Leaves 4, sheaths villous and deflexed-scabrid on edges of ribs, blades ciliate and scabrid on margins of wings, lowermost sheathing lower 1/3 of stem, blade reaching or exceeding spike, centric and X-shaped in section, 3-4 mm wide, main vein raised and forming flanges either side of blade, margins and edges of main vein flanges thickened and shortly villous on edges, second leaf with a well-developed blade often reaching at least base of spike, upper leaves progressively shorter, blades sometimes reduced, uppermost leaf usually entirely or largely sheathing. Spike flexed at base and inclined, almost straight, 3-to 5-flowered; bracts pale green or becoming pale and dry toward apices, eventually ± entirely membranous, 16-24 mm long, inner bracts slightly shorter than outer. Flowers pale blue, often slightly darker toward tips of upper tepals, lower lateral tepals with transverse yellow band just above base of limb, fairly densely speckled with dark purple at edges, lower median tepal with yellow blotch in lower midline, lower part of throat also speckled, tepals forming a slightly inflated bell, unscented; perianth tube 9-10 mm long, obliquely funnel-shaped, lower 1/2 erect and cylindric, ± 4 mm long, upper 1/2 bent at right angles and flaring outward; tepals ± ovate, dorsal largest, arched over stamens and ± horizontal, 24-30 x 18-20 mm, upper laterals curving outward near apices, ± 20 x 17 mm, slightly concave just above base, lower tepals united with upper laterals for 5-8 mm and to one another for ± 2 mm, lower laterals spathulate, clawed below, claws ± 6 x 1.3 mm, expanded abruptly into a broadly ovate or oblong limb 12 x 10 mm, lower median tepal ± 14 mm long, narrowly clawed in lower 1-2 mm. Filaments ± 13 mm long, exserted ± 9 mm from tube but included in flower; anthers ± 9 mm long, lilac; pollen cream-coloured. Style arched over stamens, dividing opposite upper 1/3 of anthers, branches ± 4.5 mm long. Capsules obovoid, 3-lobed above and retuse, 16-19 mm long. Seeds ± ovate, 6-7 x 4-5 mm, broadly and evenly winged.