Gladiolus involutus/orchidiflora

This name combines two distinct South African gladiolus species whose exact identity here remains uncertain: Gladiolus involutus, from clay slopes in renosterveld and grassland, with white flowers marked yellow-green on the lower tepals, and Gladiolus orchidiflorus, from Namibia and South Africa, with mottled olive-green to purplish flowers, growing on clay and sandy soils in semi-arid habitats. Both are cormous plants, 30-50 cm tall, flowering from winter into spring in a winter-rainfall climate. They are grown in full sun on well-drained soil, with strict summer dormancy.