Gladiolus vandermerwei (L.Bolus) Goldblatt & M.p.de Vos

Plants 300-600 mm high, with cataphylls purple mottled white or cream-coloured. Corm globose, 8-12 mm diam., with 2 to several slender stolons; tunics papery to membranous, decaying irregularly. Stem flexed outward and inclined above, simple or 1-to 3-branched. Leaves 5 to 7 or more if stem branched, lower sheaths mottled purple and cream-coloured, lower 4 to 6 basal, reaching to ± base or shortly exceeding spike, linear to narrowly lanceolate, 2-5 mm wide, main vein lightly raised, margins not thickened, cauline leaves smaller, uppermost leaf often sheathing only near base. Spike usually erect, lightly flexuose, (2)3-to 8-flowered; bracts dull green to somewhat purplish, outer 35-50(-60) mm long, inner shorter, acute or apically notched. Flowers bright scarlet, lower 3 tepals yellow in lower 1/2, unscented; perianth tube 35-45 mm long, narrow and cylindric in lower 15-22 mm, gradually expanded into wider cylindric, horizontal upper part, 20-23 mm long, ± 7 x 6 mm diam.; tepals with upper 3 lanceolate, dorsal largest, 23-28 x 8-10 mm, inclined slightly above horizontal, upper laterals joined to dorsal for 2-3 mm, 20-30 x 9-11 mm, lower tepals linear, laterals spreading at right angles to tube, straight or twisted, 12-19 x 2-3 mm, lower median slightly longer. Filaments 35-40 mm long, extended horizontally, exserted 8-12 mm from tube; anthers 7-9 mm long, dark purple; pollen pale yellow. Style extended horizontally, dividing opposite upper 1/3 of anthers, branches 3-5 mm long. Capsules ovoid-ellipsoid, rounded, ± 20 mm long. Seeds irregularly ovate, ± 6 x 5 mm, evenly or unevenly winged, seed body blackish.