Large flowers variously described as being "strong lavender", "lilac-blue", "mauvish blue" or "pale violet", with a narrow, pale green zone at base. Filaments cream, with maroon connectives; anthers yellow.

There is considerable confusion over cultivars named 'Gabrielle'; at least two are known and there may even be three.

The Fifth Supplement to the International Register and Checklist 2002 notes that: Brewster Rogerson, USA (in litt.) says that it appeared as a seedling in the late 1960s in the Cape Cod garden of Polly Hill, USA, was propagated by Steffen about 1983 and listed in his catalogue (?date) mis-spelt as 'Gabriel'. He notes that what marks this cultivar out is the wide separation of the sepals: "like a whirligig without some of the curl". European nurseries vary in how they describe the flower colour, but this seems to be the same plant.