Gladiolus uitenhagensis Goldblatt & Vlok

Plants 350-600 mm high, with dry brown cataphylls. Corm 15-20 mm diam.; tunics of coarse, blackish fibres. Stem erect or inclined above, usually unbranched. Leaves 7 or 8, lower 4 or 5 basal, reaching to ± base of spike or sometimes slightly beyond, terete or oval in section, 1.5-2.0 mm wide, when dry main vein appearing strongly thickened, margins barely if at all raised, cauline leaves smaller, uppermost small and largely sheathing. Spike inclined, slightly flexuose, 5-to 11-flowered; bracts grey-green, soft-textured, becoming dry and brown above, outer 15-20 mm long, inner slightly shorter, shallowly notched. Flowers pale mauve to drab white, lower tepals with yellow spear-shaped mark outlined in purple in midline, not scented; perianth tube obliquely funnel-shaped, (22-)28-35 mm long, well exserted from bracts, lower cylindric part ± 20 mm long; tepals lanceolate, dorsal largest, inclined over stamens, 28-32 x ± 15 mm, upper laterals ± 19 x 8-12 mm, windowed between bases of dorsal and upper lateral tepals, lower 3 tepals joined to upper laterals for 2-3 and together for 3-6 mm, 18-20 x 4-8 mm. Filaments ± 15 mm long, exserted 8-10 mm from tube; anthers ± 8 mm long, yellow or purple; pollen creamy yellow. Style arching over stamens, dividing near apex of anthers, branches ± 2.5 mm long, Capsules and seeds unknown.