Gladiolus watermeyeri leaves

Gladiolus watermeyeri bears four or five sword-shaped to linear leaves, narrow with thickened margins. The leaf blades also have two to five thickened, parallel veins or ribs.

The lower three leaves are basal, the others sheathing the stem higher up. Only one of the basal leaves is usually longer than the flower spike.

The cataphylls, reduced leaves at the base that sheathe the corm are pale and membranous, the tallest one visible above-ground, usually purple (Goldblatt and Manning, 1998; Manning, 2007; iNaturalist).