Gladiolus venustus inflorescence

The corolla colouring of this specimen of Gladiolus venustus is pink-purple. Blue-purple ones are also seen. The cream coloured or lemon yellow sections at the base of the tepals are similar in the two forms. The tepal margins are wavy and attenuate more than taper to the markedly extended tips.

Closed, narrowly cone-shaped green buds covered in their bracts, as well as some half-opened flowers are also present higher up in the zigzagging spike in picture (Manning, 2007; Goldblatt and Manning, 1998; iNaturalist; iSpot).