Gladiolus pardalinus inflorescence spike

The Gladiolus pardalinus inflorescence grows on an unbranched, about straight stem that is up to 3 mm in diameter, measured immediately below the slightly inclined flower spike. The spike droops in bud, bearing from 10 to 15 flowers.

The bracts subtending the flowers are grey-green, sometimes partly tinted purple. The inner bract of each flower is slightly smaller and notched at its tip.

The blooming season of the species is spring. The photo was taken in Limpopo (Goldblatt and Manning, 1998; iNaturalist).