Gladiolus nigromontanus Goldblatt

Plants 300-400 mm high. Corm globose, ± 16 mm diam.; tunics of coarse fibres, accumulating in a collar around base of stem. Stem lightly flexed outward above sheaths of upper 2 or all leaves, inclined above, unbranched. Leaves 3, lowermost basal and sheathing lower 1/2 of stem, reaching middle or upper 1/3 of stem, relatively short, straight and erect, terete with 4 longitudinal grooves, ± 1 mm diam., cauline leaves entirely sheathing or with short free apices up to 20 mm long, lower of these fairly long and overlapped by sheath of basal leaf, uppermost short, inserted in upper 1/5 of stem, 40-55 mm long, sometimes overlapped by second leaf, margins of sheaths united around stem. Spike inclined, ± straight, 3-to 6-flowered; bracts pale green or flushed greyish purple, apices brown, 14-22 mm long, inner forked, slightly shorter. Flowers white to pale pink, lower 3 tepals with dark red longitudinal streaks or lozenge-shaped marks sometimes pale in centre, red in base of tube; perianth tube narrowly and obliquely funnel-shaped, (17-)20-25 mm long, exceeding bracts and emerging between them, curved outward beyond bracts, wider upper part ± 8 mm long; tepals with dorsal largest, obovate, inclined to hooded over stamens 20-24 x 14-16 mm, often recurved apically, upper laterals lanceolate, curving outward, becoming reflexed in upper 1/2, ± 20 x ± 12 mm, lower 3 tepals united below for ± 4 mm, free parts ± 15 mm long, forming horizontal, lightly channelled claws below, limbs 4-5 mm wide, recurving distally. Filaments 12-14 mm long, exserted 3-4 mm from tube; anthers ± 7 mm long, dark purple; pollen cream-coloured. Style arching over stamens, dividing 1-2 mm beyond anther tips, branches ± 4.5 mm long. Capsules obovoid, obtuse, ± 12 mm long (only immature capsules seen). Seeds unknown.