Gladiolus parvulus Schltr.

Plants 150-350(-470) mm high, cataphylls not or barely reaching above ground. Corm globose, 7-14 mm diam.; tunics leathery to almost woody, decaying into wiry vertical fibres usually somewhat claw-like below. Stem slender and wiry, thickened for a short distance from below base of upper leaf to base of spike, flexed outward above sheath of upper sheathing leaf, unbranched. Leaves 2, lower 1 basal and sheathing lower 1/2 of stem, sheath ribbed and lightly villous, often slightly inflated, blade vestigial, 5-25 mm long, villous, margins and main vein thickened, upper leaf minute, scale-like, inserted just below spike, sometimes reaching base of lower floral bract, (4.0-)5.5-7.0 mm long; non-flowering plants with a single linear leaf 80-100 x ± 2 mm, sparsely villous, main vein and margins moderately thickened and hyaline. Spike flexed outward at base and inclined, lightly flexuose, 2-to 5-flowered; bracts greyish purple, sometimes dry and brownish toward apices, outer 9-11 mm long, inner narrower but slightly longer, minutely notched. Flowers with tepals equal in size and disposition but stamens unilateral and arcuate, pale pink, throat with narrow paired red lines below tepal bases, unscented; perianth tube funnel-shaped, 5-7 mm long, flared upper part ± 3.5 mm long; tepals lanceolate, subequal or upper slightly wider, 12-17 x 5.0-6.7 mm, flaring outward distally. Filaments 5-6 mm long, exserted ± 2 mm from tube but enclosed by tepals; anthers 4-6 mm long, pale pink; pollen creamy yellow. Style arching over stamens, dividing between upper 1/3 and just beyond anther apices, branches 2-3 mm long. Capsules globose to oblong, 3-lobed above and retuse, ± 7 mm long. Seeds oval, broadly winged.