Cameron McMaster responded privately to my post as he had just seen and photographed Gladiolus mutabilis in the Eastern Cape where it more usually grows. In flower in the same place was Gladiolus patersoniae and he sent me photos of both for the wiki which I have added. It was interesting to hear that these two species are blooming at the same time in two different locations. Gladiolus patersoniae is pollinated by long tongued bees and perhaps they also pollinate G. mutabilis. One wonders if there would be hybrids in these areas between the two species. Thanks to Cameron and Rachel you can see the variation in both of these species which illustrates how challenging it is to identify a species from a photo. >Gladiolus mutabilis >http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/… > in the previously burned area where they found Gladiolus mutabilis > extending the known distribution area they also found some other > nice plants flowering: Gladiolus patersoniae, Cyrtanthus odorus, > and Romulea jugicoa.