This modestly attractive geophyte propagates in montane grasslands to a length of about 300–600 mm. The plant produces an undeveloped corm that grows 5–8 mm in diameter. The sheets of tunics covering the corm, are delicate and ultra-thin. These sheets develop into a fibrous system, once decomposed, producing white runners at the basal region of the plant. All runners end in a small corm.

Cataphylls (scale-like leaves) grow to about 10–20 mm tall and are thin, pliable and somewhat transparent, gradually becoming purple. In addition, about 4–7 leaves develop on the plant, with the 3 longer leaves situated at the base. These leaves extend from the centre of the stem to the bottom of the flower stalk. The leaf blades are egg-shaped to linear, 4–8 mm broad, with the midrib broadened and raised. The leaf margins are almost transparent, but not thickened. The rest of the leaves appear between the centre and the apex of the plants stem. These leaves gradually decrease in size, with the two uppermost leaves partially covering the stem. The stem is upright and bent outwards close to the flower stalk, sometimes bearing a little side branch. The flower stalk ranges from upright to slanting, bearing between 6 to 12 flowers. These flowers occur in two levels, with delicate bracts that are light green on the anterior and faded purple on the posterior. The outer bracts are 14–16 mm long, with the inner bracts being slightly smaller, containing tiny indentations near the apex and is situated beneath the outer bracts.

The flowers of this striking plant are pale mauve, with the anterior tepals, a darker shade of mauve underneath, near the middle. The posterior tepals are creamish, containing prominent violet venation in the lower part and a dark mauve in the upper part. The sinuses of the lower tepals have a distinct dark spot, which is odourless. According to Hilliard and Burtt (1986) the dark spots are peculiar, as its purpose had not been identified.

The perianth tube is about 5 mm long and somewhat cone-shaped. The tepals are asymmetrical and egg-shaped, tapering to the apex. The posterior tepals are about 25 mm long and 17 mm wide. These tepals are parallel and slanting towards the earth. The upper lateral tepals are about 18 mm long and 13 mm wide. The upper tepals are entwined and pressed against the bottom part of the posterior tepals. The bottom 3 tepals are upright, slanting towards the earth and fused for about 1.5 mm. The tepals situated on the lower side, are about 13 mm long and 5 mm wide. These tepals taper into a claw of about 2 mm long. The limbs of the claw are shortly extended with tapering grooves at the bottom that become smooth in the middle, about 16 mm long and 6 mm wide. The filaments are mauve, about 7 mm long and protruding to about 5 mm from the perianth tube. The anthers are 6 mm long with pale mauve pollen. The ovaries are egg-shaped and about 3 mm long. The style is flexed above the stamens, separating the centre and upper part of the anthers. Gladiolus loteniensis is known to bloom from December to January.

Gladiolus loteniensis is distinguished by its tiny flowers, pale mauve perianth, delicate sword-shaped leaves and significantly darker mauve venation on the lower tepals. Goldblatt and Manning (1998) proposed that Gladiolus loteniensis was comparable with Gladiolus involutus, as both species contained similar leaf shapes and textures, and flowers with the upper tepals entwined and pressed against the bottom parts of the posterior tepals; two species share similarities in that the limbs on the posterior sides of the tepals are spirally and that the tepals in the centre are longer than those below. The texture of the tunics in Gladiolus loteniensis and the development of white runners, were also comparable with Gladiolus involutus. These two species are geographically separated as Gladiolus involutus only occurs in parts of the Eastern and Western Cape.