Gladiolus variegatus (G.J.Lewis) Goldblatt & J.C.Manning

Plants 200-400(-600) mm high. Corm conical, 10-15 mm diam.; tunics hard and woody, splitting into claw-like segments. Stem flexed outward above sheaths of upper 2 leaves, inclined and flexuose in upper 1/2, unbranched. Leaves 3(4), lower 2 basal, reaching to base or shortly exceeding spike, lowermost sheathing stem for a short distance, linear or falcate, 1.5-2.5 mm wide, main vein lightly raised, margins not thickened, second leaf sheathing lower 2/3 of stem, uppermost leaf sheathing for 1/2 its length. Spike lightly inclined, flexuose, 1-or 2(4)-flowered; bracts dark green, sometimes flushed greyish purple, smooth with narrowly hyaline margins, outer 25-40(-50) mm long, inner slightly shorter, minutely forked. Flowers white to pale pink, lower part of throat and lower 3 tepals with red spots irregularly spread on lower 2/3, unscented; perianth tube cylindric, very slightly curved and expanded in upper 3-4 mm, 14-20 mm long, shorter than bracts; tepals with dorsal largest, inclined, 25-30 x 16-22 mm, upper laterals arching outward from base and ultimately spreading at right angles to tube, 23-28 x 11-15 mm, lower tepals united with upper laterals for ± 2 mm and together for ± 2 mm, weakly arching downward in upper half, 24-27 x 10-13 mm, lower median slightly smaller than laterals. Filaments 12-15 mm long, exserted 5-6 mm from tube, often reddish, or red abaxially; anthers (7-)8-10 mm long, white above, dark purple below; pollen cream-coloured. Style dividing shortly below to beyond anther apices, branches ± 4 mm long. Capsules and seeds unknown.