Gladiolus rehmannii

Gladiolus rehmannii may have more than ten flowers in one spike. Flower colours may vary from pink as in this photo, white or pale mauve, all with yellow nectar guides on the lower tepals near the throat. The outer three tepals are bigger than those of the inner whorl. The flowers are not scented; colour rather than fragrance has to attract the pollinators that work by day. There are green outer bracts around the tepals.

The plant grows in grassland in Mpumalanga, Limpopo and North West (www.pacificbulbsociety.org).