Gladiolus oppositiflorus leaves

The seven or eight sword-shaped to nearly linear leaves of Gladiolus oppositiflorus grow mostly in a fan at the base. The rest are stem-leaves. The leaves sheathe the stem and those at the base also each other.

The leaves are from 12 mm to 20 mm wide and at least as tall as the base of the inflorescence. The margins and midribs are thickened, the blades hairless or velvety between the veins.

The short, pale cataphylls are leathery and membranous, the tallest one often velvety and up to 10 cm long.

The plant in picture has developed a clump of corms, each with its own leaf fan and stem (Goldblatt and Manning, 1998; Manning, 2009; Pooley, 1998; iNaturalist).