Romulea saxatilis M.P. de Vos

Manning, John C. & Goldblatt, Peter, 2001, the Arabian Peninsula and Socotra including new species, biological notes, and a new infrageneric classification, Adansonia (3) 23 (1), pp. 59-108 : 76-77

8. Romulea saxatilis M.P. de Vos

J. S. African Bot., Suppl. 9: 71 (1972); Fl. S. Africa 7(2), fasc. 2: 19 (1983). — Type: Guthrie 18558, South Africa, Western Cape, Ceres (holo-, BOL!) .

Plants 10-30 cm high, stem very slender and wiry, reaching to 15 cm above ground; corm with a crescent-shaped basal ridge. Leaves 3-4, lower 2 basal, narrowly 4-grooved, c. 0.5 mm diam.; outer bracts with narrow membranous margins, inner bracts with wide white or sometimes brownspotted membranous margins. Flowers magentapink with yellow cup, tepals elliptic, 9-22 mm long; filaments swollen in the middle, 3-4 mm long, anthers 3-4 mm long. Fruiting peduncles erect or slightly spreading. Flowering: Sep.-Oct.

Romulea saxatilis is a montane species occurring in rocky sandstone soil mainly on wetter, south-facing slopes. Its range extends from the Cedarberg in the north to Michell’s Pass near Ceres in the south. Allied to Romulea schlechteri , R. saxatilis may be distinguished by its slender habit, and fairly small, dark magenta flowers with short stamens. An unusual feature of the species, the very short filaments are widest in the middle instead of at the base.