Gladiolus debilis bracts

Seen from behind, the bracts that cover the long corolla tubes of Gladiolus debilis flowers are conspicuous. A flower tube is from 1,5 cm to 2,2 cm long. The bracts, brownish grey here, are longitudinally ridged. Three cream coloured stigma branches are just visible among anther tips in the photo.

The long-legged and long-tongued guest seeking nourishment is unaware of performing a pollination service. This gladiolus is unscented; a feature that does not bother long-tongued flies that come equipped for explore the contents of the long flower tubes (Manning, 2007: Bond and Goldblatt, 1984).