Gladiolus crassifolius leaves

The deciduous leaves of Gladiolus crassifolius are narrowly lanceolate to linear. They emerge near bloomtime. A corm normally produces four to eight leaves from the base, while one or two more sheathe the stem, the smallest the highest. Leaf-tip height ranges from the base of the flower spike to exceeding it.

The specific name, crassifolius, is derived from the Latin words crassus meaning thick and folium meaning leaf, referring to the variably thickened midribs, margins and veins up the blades.

There are some leathery, brown cataphylls at the plant base as well (Manning, 2009; Goldblatt and Manning, 1998).