Gladiolus quadrangulus (D.Delaroche) Barnard

Plants 140-350(-450) mm high, with cataphylls purplish to dry and brown with white spots. Corm globose, 10-15 mm diam.; tunics firm-papery to softly leathery, fragmenting into narrow strips. Stem erect, unbranched, straight or lightly flexed above. Leaves 3, lower 2 basal, lowermost as long as or slightly longer than spike, linear, thickest in midline, margins not thickened or raised, 1-2 mm wide, second leaf sheathing lower half of stem, uppermost leaf inserted on upper 1/3 of stem, margins of sheathing part united around stem. Spike straight and erect, 2-to 5(8)-flowered; bracts pale green, veins and margins translucent, outer 27-33(-45) mm long, inner shorter. Flowers actinomorphic, star-like, pale pink, mauve, or white, tepals with darker veins and often with dark median streak toward base, lightly scented of narcissus, closing tightly in midafternoon; perianth tube narrowly funnel-shaped, 6-10 mm long, lower cylindric part filiform, 4-6 mm long, tightly enclosing style; tepals subequal or outer slightly larger than inner, ovate to broadly lanceolate, 18-25 x 7-12 mm. Filaments erect and symmetrically disposed, ± 5 mm long; anthers 7-8 mm long, yellow; pollen yellow. Style erect and central, dividing just below anther apices, branches 3-4 mm long. Capsules ellipsoid, 13-16 mm long. Seeds ovate, 4-6 x ± 4 mm, broadly and evenly winged.