Gladiolus watsonius Thunb.

Plants 300-700 mm high. Corm globose, 12-20 mm diam., often with numerous small cormlets around base; tunics ± woody to leathery, splitting below into claw-like segments. Stem barely flexed outward above sheath of terminal leaf, unbranched. Leaves 3, imbricate, lower 2 basal, lowermost sheathing lower thirds of stem and markedly longest, reaching to base or sometimes exceeding spike, linear, (1.5-)4.0-6.0 mm wide, midrib moderately thickened and raised, margins heavily thickened and forming wings extended at right angles to blade, thus with two grooves or furrows on each surface, second leaf sheathing stem for 2/3 of its length with a short blade, uppermost leaf inserted on upper 1/2 of stem, sheathing for 1/2 its length, lower margins united around stem. Spike erect and ± straight, (2)4-to 6(8)-flowered; bracts pale green or flushed light brown, outer (35-)40-55(-70) mm long, lower margins closed around stem, inner shorter to nearly as long. Flowers orange-red to scarlet, lower tepals often translucent, occasionally yellowish below and speckled dark red near base, dorsal tepal with edges translucent in lower 1/2, unscented; perianth tube 44-53 mm long, narrow and cylindric in lower 15-25 mm, abruptly expanded and curved outward into a wider cylindric, horizontal upper part 30-38 mm long, 6-10 x 4-6 mm diam.; tepals broadly lanceolate, dorsal largest, extended horizontally over stamens, 26-33 x 12-18 mm, upper laterals 25-32 x 7-12 mm, ± spreading, lower 3 tepals arching outward from base, laterals 20-26 x 5-11 mm, lower median 23-32 x 6-12 mm. Filaments 32-40 mm long, exserted 8-13 mm from tube; anthers 7-10 mm long, dark purple; pollen cream-coloured to pale yellow. Style arching over stamens, dividing between upper 1/3 and apex of anthers, branches 4-6 mm long. Capsules elongate-ellipsoid, 40-45 x ± 14 mm. Seeds discoid, 6-9 x 5-6 mm, broadly and evenly winged.