Gladiolus brevifolius flower

The inflorescence of Gladiolus brevifolius is an inclined spike on an erect stem, slightly curved between the about ten flowers. The bracts are grey green, sometimes with some purple near the top. The inner bract of every flower is slightly shorter with its tip notched.

The two-lipped flowers are pink in several shades, otherwise cream, lightly mauve or greenish grey. The lower tepals have distinct but variable middle bands, nectar guides that are often yellow. The tepals are lanceolate, the dorsal one biggest.

The filaments are exserted from the tubes. The anthers enclosed by the tepals bear pale yellow pollen. The oblong ovary is topped by a style that divides into three branches of 3 mm long, at or above the anthers. The flowers are scented in some parts of the plant’s distribution range, not everywhere.

Ellipsoid fruit capsules follow the flowering. They contain oval, winged seeds (Goldblatt and Manning, 1998; Manning, 2007; Bean and Johns, 2005; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iNaturalist).