Gladiolus undulatus flower

The flower of Gladiolus undulatus is long-tubed and two-lipped. The long tapering tepals are cream to greenish-white or pale pink and often wavy, particularly the upper ones.

The lower three tepals have dark, blood red, almost circular markings near the base. The upper three are unmarked, but broader near the base and folding in for a short distance immediately beyond that.

An insect is perched where the three droopy style branches split, resting in the shade of the bowl part of the dorsal sepal. The anthers are shorter and angled down, here visible below the style. Pollination is done at least partly by long-tongued flies.

Bloomtime is late spring and early summer (Manning, 2007; Bean and Johns, 2005; Goldblatt and Manning, 1998; iNaturalist).