Gladiolus maculatus flowers grow on an erect, unbranched stem, slightly angled at the stem-leaf nodes. The spike is inclined, bearing one to three flowers, occasionally up to five. The narrow, soft bracts are green, grey or purple, about 5 cm long.
The flower is dull yellow to lilac, densely to lightly speckled with some additions of larger pale to dark brown or purple spots and streaks, variously shaped and often darker near the tepal tips. The upper lateral tepals in picture are darker, those next to them almost white in their lower parts. Tepal margins are sometimes wavy. All the tips are narrow, attenuating markedly and curving.
The flowers are sweetly and strongly fragrant, also in the evening, the nectar sweet. The plant’s pollinators include moths or may be mainly moths. Flowering happens from before mid-autumn to early winter (Goldblatt and Manning, 1998; Mustart, et al, 1997; iNaturalist).