The pictures below are of romuleas that are native to South Africa, grown from seed or seen in the wild. Many of the species are very similar and difficult to tell apart. Sometimes it is necessary to examine the bracts and bracteoles and often looking at the corm is very helpful. Photos of the different corms will be added as available.
There are three good references for the southern African species, The Genus Romulea in South Africa written by Miriam de Vos in 1972, her revision written in 1982 and a later revision from John Manning and Peter Goldblatt in 2001.
Species from E to K are shown on this page.
European And Mediterranean Romuleas - South African Romulea A-D - South African Romulea L-N - South African Romulea O-S - South African Romulea T-Z - Romulea index
Romulea elliptica is found on sandy flats in the southwest Cape. It grows to 30cm. and flowers in late winter, early spring. Leaves are filiform, corms have an oblique crescent shaped basal ridge, and flowers are bright golden yellow with a few short dark veins in the cup. Inner bracts have narrow white membranous margins. The outer segments are elliptical and the backs are green with brown markings along the margins. Photos from Mary Sue Ittner show some of these features.
Romulea eximia has old rose or red flowers with dark blotches around the yellow cup. It is found on sandy flats in the Southwest Cape and blooms late winter into spring. Photos by Alan Horstmann and Mary Sue Ittner including the corms which are pointed at the base.
Habitat pictures taken in the Darling Reserve September 2006 by Bob Rutemoeller and Mary Sue Ittner.
Romulea flava, yellow and white forms. This species is a long blooming one, easily grown in the garden and found in a variety of soil conditions and locations in the winter rainfall area of South Africa. Photos by Mary Sue Ittner show yellow and white forms, the back of a yellow form and corms shown on a 1 cm grid. The corms are obliquely flattened towards the base with fine parallel fibrils on the basal ridge.
Additional photos by Alan Horstmann, Bob Rutemoeller, and Bob Werra.
Romulea gigantea is a species which has small white, lilac, or blue flowers with a yellow greenish cup and is found in moist places in the South African Cape. The first photo taken by Bob Rutemoeller illustrates this species even though it was grown from seed labeled Romulea bulbocodium v. leichtliniana . It bloomed the second year from seed in March in Northern California and was then properly identified. It is a weedy species and probably offered in exchanges under the wrong name as it sets seed easily. The other two pictures of this species grown from another batch of misnamed seed are close-ups of this small flower from the front and back. These photos were taken by Mary Sue Ittner
Romulea hallii, grows on clay flats in the Roggeveld in a very cold dry winter rainfall area (Sutherland). It blooms from May to July in the wild and is the first species to bloom in our Northern California garden each year (usually in November or December). Photos by Bob Rutemoeller taken in different years and including one that shows the back and the bracts. Examining bracts is often helpful in identifying species.for identification purposes. The last photo was taken by Mary Sue Ittner of the corms on a 1 cm. grid. Corms are rounded a the base with curved acuminate teeth bent to one side.
Romulea hantamensis grows on damp doleritic flats in the Hantamsberg. This very beautiful species is difficult to grow from seed and seems to require stratification and even then seeds do not always germinate. Photos by Alan Horstmann.
Romulea hirsuta grows on granitic or sandstone or clay slopes and flats in the Northwest and Southwest Cape. Plants are 6 to 30 cm. with a symmetrical bell-shaped corm with a circular rim of fibrils. Most populations have deep pink to red flowers with darker blotches in the throat, but there is a coppery orange flowered form wthout the dark markings. Fruiting peduncles are suberect or spreading. Some populations have a strongly angled or winged peduncle. Photos from Rod Saunders, Bob Rutemoeller, and Mary Sue Ittner. The first two photos were taken in habitat and the last is of the corms.
Photos by Alan Horstmann and Rod Saunders of the form Miriam de Vos named var. cuprea, a form that is apricol pink without dark blotches in the throat and with a yellow cup.
Romulea hirta, sets a lot of seed and is often available in seed exchanges and sometimes blooms the second year from seed. It is found on damp dolerite and clay flats in the mountains of the northwest Cape. Flowers vary in size and are pale yellow, often with a pale reddish brown or greenish brown zone above the throat. Corms are rounded at the base with curved acuminate teeth bent to one side. The distinctive identifying trait are the leaves which have the lateral ribs reduced and medium ribs widened to form 4 longitudinal wings. The other species showing this trait is Romulea tetragona which has different colored flowers. Photos 1-2 by Mary Sue Ittner of the flowers and the corms. grid. Photo 3 was taken by Nhu Nguyen of seedlings grown from a PBS BX.
Photos of plants in habitat from Mary Sue Ittner, Bob Rutemoeller, and Rod Saunders. Photos 1 and 2 show a plant blooming near Middelpos in the Roggeveld September 2006. Photos 3-5 show variations in plants photographed near Nieuwoudtville September 2006.
Romulea kamisensis grows in sandy loam in Namaqualand. It has small magenta purple flowers with a violet center and violet stripes in the throat. Stamens and style are included in the tube. It flowers in late winter, early spring. Photos by Mary Sue Ittner. The last shows the corms on a 1 cm. grid. Corms are obliquely flatened towards the base with a crescent-shaped basal ridge.
Photos taken in Namaqualand on two different trips by Mary Sue Ittner and Bob Rutemoeller.
Romulea komsbergensis is found on damp loamy flats in the Roggeveld Escarpment. It was grown from seed from two different sources and bloomed for the first time in 2003. Photo #1 was taken by Bob Rutemoeller the first year. The second year both batches have bloomed a long time. They looked more alike this year than they did last year, but one has a much more pronounced brown center than the other. The patterns on the back are different too, but they both key out to this species. Photos #2 and 3 were taken late January and February 2004. In photo #3 the pot was being pollinated by a bee that spent a lot of time rolling around in each flower. Photos #4 and 5 show the variation of the backs of the two different clones. The last photo shows the corms on a 1 cm. grid. Corms are rounded at the base with grooved basal teeth bent towards one side. Photos by Mary Sue Ittner.
The first picture taken by Lauw de Jager. The second photo was taken in habitat in the Roggeveld (Komsberg) by Cameron McMaster.
Photos by Bob Rutemoeller taken September 2006 in a wet place near Middelpos in a wet year. The first shows the scene with hundreds of flowers in bloom, the second a closer version and then some pictures of some odd colored forms. The very last photo, the only one taken by Mary Sue Ittner, shows a white one growing next to the usual color form.
European And Mediterranean Romuleas - South African Romulea A-D - South African Romulea L-N - South African Romulea O-S - South African Romulea T-Z - Romulea index