Gladiolus meliusculus (G.J.Lewis) Goldblatt & J.C.Manning

Plants 120-200(-270) mm high. Corm depressed-globose, 6-10 mm diam., usually producing 1 or 2 corm-lets on short stolons up to 10 mm long; tunics membranous. Stem usually inclined from base or erect below, flexed outward above sheath of third leaf, unbranched, slightly compressed and 2-ridged to-winged below uppermost leaf, usually 3-ridged or-winged below first flower, usually with a small cormlet in subterranean axil. Leaves 4, lower 2 or 3 basal, lowermost longest, as long or longer than spike, linear, (1.8-)3.0-5.0 mm wide, strongly ridged, uppermost leaf usually bract-like and diverging from stem. Spike inclined, occasionally 2-, usually 3-to 6-flowered; bracts keeled, pale green with keel and margins red, 17-30 mm long, inner bracts shorter to ± as long, usually 2-keeled, minutely forked. Flowers pink to brick-red or orange, lower tepals yellow to greenish below narrowly to broadly edged with dark purple, throat with glistening papillose ridges on tepal sutures, sweetly honey-scented; perianth tube obliquely funnel-shaped, ± 11 mm long, mostly included in bracts; tepals with dorsal largest, oblanceolate, arching forward or ± erect when fully open, 30-38 x 15-18 mm, upper lateral tepals spade-shaped, shortly clawed for ± 2 mm, limbs abruptly expanded, 20-30 x ± 20 mm, spreading distally, lower tepals united for 3-4 mm, clawed below, laterals ± 23 mm long, claws channelled, limbs 12-16 x ± 12 mm, lower median with shorter claws, limbs 15-18 x 14-16 mm. Filaments strongly arched, ± 15 mm long, exserted ± 10 mm from tube, minutely pilose; anthers 5-7 mm long, purple or buff-coloured; pollen cream-coloured to yellow. Style arching over stamens, minutely pubescent, dividing between base and middle of anthers, branches ± 6 mm long. Capsules ovoid-ellipsoid, 20-26 mm long. Seeds oval, 6-8 x 5-6 mm, broadly and evenly winged.