Gladiolus watsonioides is a medium to high (½–1 m), herbaceous geophyte with sword-shaped leaves, flattened in the plain of the stem, and spikes of red funnel-shaped flowers, that is assigned to the iris family. In the wild, the species is restricted to the highlands of central Kenya and northern Tanzania, including on Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Range. It is sometimes called Mackinder's gladiolus.

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