Gladiolus pubigerus G.J.Lewis

Plants (200-)300-500 mm high, with densely villous cataphylls often tipped purple. Corm globose, 12-20 mm diam.; tunics softly leathery, decaying into fine to coarse flat vertical fibres, usually accumulating in a dense mass. Stem flexed outward above apex of upper leaf, then inclined, unbranched. Leaves 2 or 3, lowermost basal and sheathing lower 1/2 of stem, ± bladeless or with blade up to 50(-100) mm long, sheath pubescent below or throughout but more densely so below, lightly ribbed, slightly inflated and compressed, thus elliptic in section, blade narrowly lanceolate, 3-4 mm wide, villous, margins thickened and hyaline, main vein raised, second leaf inserted on upper 1/3 stem, 15-45 mm long, entirely sheathing, glabrous, third leaf, if present, like second but shorter; leaves of non-flowering plants evidently solitary, linear and villous. Spike deflexed at base, lightly to strongly inclined, weakly flexuose to nearly straight, 4-to 9-flowered; bracts pale grey-green or flushed grey-purple or pink, outer (12-)15-18 mm long, inner shorter, minutely notched. Flowers blue-mauve or pale lemon-yellow tinged with green, sometimes tepals lightly flushed reddish brown, horizontal to drooping, tepals unmarked or lower median with a dark streak in lower midline, often with strong fruity and waxy scent in mornings; perianth tube narrowly trumpet-shaped, flared evenly, 7-8 mm long, emerging between bracts; tepals nearly equal, narrowly lanceolate-attenuate, upper 3 slightly larger than lower and held slightly apart from them, all slightly spreading distally, 3 upper 17-23 x 6-10 mm, lower 3 joined to upper laterals for 1-2 mm, 17-22 x 5-9 mm. Filaments 5-10 mm long, exserted 1-5 mm from tube but enclosed by tepals; anthers 6-7 mm long, dull yellow or purple; pollen cream-coloured. Style arching over stamens, dividing opposite upper 1/3 of anthers, branches 3.0-4.5 mm long. Capsules globose, lightly 3-lobed above, 8-10 mm long. Seeds oblong, 5-6 x 3.0-3.5 mm, evenly winged.