Gladiolus watermeyeri flowers

The Gladiolus watermeyeri flower is strongly fragrant, two-lipped and multicoloured. The dorsal tepal is partly red-purple, curving down like a hood between two large spreading, triangular lateral tepals flanking it. They are white with deep red lines. The remaining, lower three tepals are drooping, oblanceolate and olive green with white tips. Flower diameter is about 3,5 cm.

The exserted filaments curve down under the hood or dorsal tepal. The oblong anthers are usually 1 cm or longer. The three-branched style arches over the stamens (Goldblatt and Manning, 1998; Manning, 2007).