Gladiolus inflatus
Author: Ivan Lätti
Photographer: Judd Kirkel Welwitch
Gladiolus inflatus is a slender perennial that grows three leaves and a flower stem annually to heights ranging from 25 cm to 60 cm. The lowest leaf is needle-like with four longitudinal grooves along its surface. All the leaves are close to being cylindrical.
The distribution of this species ranges from Clanwilliam to Caledon and eastwards to Willowmore. The habitat is sandstone slopes and rocky outcrops among shrubs and restios (Manning, 2007; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; www.pacificbulbsociety.org).