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. 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 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.
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.
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, garden grown in Northern California by Mary Sue Ittner. These two photos, one of the front, one of the back, show how the bracts can be used for identification purposes. Photos by Bob Rutemoeller. This one comes from a very cold dry winter rainfall area (Sutherland) and one of the earliest to bloom in winter.
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 sandstone or clay slopes and flats in the Northwest and Southwest Cape. Flowers are pink to rose or coppery orange, often with dark marks around the yellow cup. Photo by Alan Horstmann.
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. 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 by Mary Sue Ittner of the flowers and the corms and of a plant blooming near Middelpos in the Roggeveld 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.
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. This first photo 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 the 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. The second and third photos were taken late January and February 2004 by Mary Sue Ittner and Bob Rutemoeller. In the next photo the pot was being pollinated by a bee that spent a lot of time rolling around in each flower. Finally the last two pictures show the variation of the backs of the two different clones.
The first picture taken by Lauw de Jager shows a plant that looks really different from the other two. 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
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