Gladiolus roseovenosus Goldblatt & J.C.Manning

Plants 350-500 mm high, with cataphylls green or purple sometimes lightly mottled with white. Corm ± globose, ± 15 mm diam.; tunics firm-papery becoming fibrous. Stem erect, flexed outward above sheath of uppermost or upper 2 leaves, erect above, unbranched. Leaves 4, lowermost basal and reaching to between lower 1/3 and middle of stem, blade short to vestigial, up to 75 mm long, linear, 1.5-2.0 mm wide, margins and main vein lightly thickened, upper leaves progressively smaller, largely sheathing, uppermost with lower margins united around stem. Spike erect, lightly flexuose, 2-to 4-flowered; bracts pale green, outer 25-45 mm long, inner slightly shorter, forked apically. Flowers creamy pink mottled and streaked with dark pink on reverse, lower 3 tepals feathered with red on veins, sometimes becoming ± solid red below, unscented; perianth tube narrowly funnel-shaped, 36-44 mm long, curving forward and widened above, cylindric lower part 26-34 mm long, enclosed in bracts; tepals lanceolate, margins undulate, dorsal largest, arching over stamens, 34-37 x 18-26 mm, curving upward distally, upper laterals curving outward distally, 33-38 x 12-14 mm, lower 3 tepals joined to upper laterals for 9 mm and together for ± 2 mm, ± 27 x 11 mm, lower median slightly larger than laterals. Filaments 15-17 mm long, exserted 6-8 mm from tube; anthers 8-11 mm long, purple, reaching only to middle of dorsal tepal; pollen cream-coloured. Style arching over stamens, dividing at or up to 5 mm beyond anther tips, branches 6-8 mm long. Capsules and seeds unknown.