Gladiolus vinosomaculatus unsettled tepals

In these Gladiolus vinosomaculatus flowers the lower lateral tepals, smaller than the rest, are pushed up by the lowermost one. They curl up in the space where the pollinators normally operate, their outer surfaces whitish and not speckled low down.

These lower laterals, like the dorsal tepal, form the inner whorl of the corolla or perianth. The tepals are slightly unequal in size, apart from the pairs.

The ostensible obstacles caused by the out of place tepals should not cause pollination impediments, may even serve as convenient perches for business to proceed normally with insect customers (Goldblatt and Manning, 1998; iNaturalist).