Gladiolus mutabilis G.J.Lewis

Plants 250-500 mm high. Corm elongate-obconic, 8-10 mm diam.; tunics cartilaginous, decaying into firm strips and ultimately coarsely fibrous. Stem erect, flexed outward above sheaths of upper 2 or 3 leaves, unbranched. Leaves 4, lowermost basal, sheathing lower 1/3 of stem, ± linear, at least 50 mm long or reaching to top of spike, leathery or subsucculent, margins and main vein not thickened or raised, remaining leaves cauline, inserted between middle and upper 1/3 of stem, progressively shorter, all with short blades, imbricate and enclosing stem nearly to base of spike. Spike inclined, lightly flexuose, 2-to 5-flowered; bracts pale green, glaucous, outer elongate and attenuate, 25-40(-50) mm long, inner shorter. Flowers pale or dark blue, mauve, or brownish to cream-coloured shaded with brown, lower 3 tepals yellow across midline or in lower 2/3 and lightly and irregularly lined and spotted with purple to brown, sweetly scented of violets; perianth tube obliquely funnel-shaped, 13-17 mm long, usually completely enclosed in bracts; tepals with upper 3 larger than lower, obovate, lower laterals oblanceolate, margins undulate to crisped, dorsal arched to hooded over stamens, upper edges recurved, 25-32 x 14-16 mm, upper laterals curving outward distally, lower tepals united with upper laterals for 6-10 mm and together for 2-3 mm, lower laterals 16-28 x 7-9 mm, tapering and channelled below, lower median 16-25 x 12-14 mm. Filaments 10-15 mm long, exserted 4-5 mm from tube; anthers 9-11 mm long, lilac to cream-coloured; pollen pale yellow. Style arching over stamens, dividing just below to shortly above anther apices, branches ± 3 mm long. Capsules ellipsoid, ± 15 mm long. Seeds ovate, ± 5 x 3 mm, broadly evenly winged.