Romulea toximontana 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 : 83-84

23. Romulea toximontana M.P. de Vos

J. S. African Bot., Suppl. 9: 89 (1972); Fl. S. Africa 7(2), fasc. 2: 23 (1983). — Type: de Vos 2020, South Africa, Western Cape, Gifberg (holo-, NBG!; iso-, PRE) .

Plants 10-25 cm high, stem subterranean or reaching 10 cm above ground; corm obliquely flattened with a wide, fan-shaped basal ridge. Leaves 3-5, lower 2 basal, narrowly 4-grooved, sometimes minutely ciliate, c. 1 mm diam.; outer bracts with narrow membranous margins, inner bracts with wide brown-edged membranous margins. Flowers white with yellow cup, unscented, tepals elliptic, 13-22 mm long; filaments 3-5 mm long, anthers 4-6 mm long. Fruiting peduncles widely spreading. Flowering: Aug.

Romulea toximontana has a narrow range on the rocky sandstone plateau of the Bokkeveld, Gifberg and Matsikamma Mountain complex. It is apparently allied to Romulea montana , with which it shares the same corm with a very broad basal ridge and widely spreading fruiting peduncles. Romulea toximontana is distinguished by having white flowers with a yellow cup, and the outside of the tepals purple. The chromosome number, 2 n = c. 28, differs from that of R. montana which has 2 n = 24. Romulea toximantana is easily confused with R. sladenii (series Hirsutae) which has very similar white flowers and occurs in the same habitat on the Gifberg. The slightly longer stamens of R. sladenii reach just beyond the floral cup while those of R. toximontana are fully included. Nevertheless, the plants are so alike in appearance that their corms should be examined for certain identification.

24. Romulea sulphurea Bég.

Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 38: 331 (1907); M. P. de Vos, J. S. African Bot., Suppl. 9: 85 (1972); Fl. S. Africa 7(2), fasc. 2: 22 (1983). — Type: Schlechter 10818, South

Africa, Western Cape, Pakhuis Pass (lecto-, Z, designated by M.P. DE VOS, 1972; isolecto-, B, BM, BOL!, GRA, K!, PRE!, S, US).

Plants 5-15 cm, stem subterranean or reaching 2 cm above ground; corm with a crescentshaped basal ridge. Leaves 3-5, lower 2 basal, narrowly 4-grooved, 0.5 mm diam.; outer bracts with narrow membranous margins, inner bracts with wide brown-speckled membranous margins. Flowers orange-yellow with dark marks in the cup, sweetly scented, tepals elliptic, 12-20 mm long; filaments 6-9 mm long, hairy to the top, anthers 2.5-3 mm long. Flowering: July-Aug. — Fig. 2F .

Romulea sulphurea was known until recently only from the type collection made by Rudolf SCHLECHTER in 1897 but in 1999 an extensive population was located at the eastern foot of the Pakhuis Mountains on the farm Alpha. The species grows in dense communities on sandstone pavement in shallow sandy soil. Although closely allied to R. montana , R. sulphurea is readily distinguished by its smaller, dark yellow to almost orange flowers with unusually short anthers, only about half as long as the filaments. The leaves are also narrower than are typically found in R. montana .

Figures

Fig. 2. — Flowers of Romulea species: A, R. tabularis; B, R. saldanhensis; C, R. tortuosa; D, R. sabulosa; E, R. eximia; F, R. sulphurea; G, R. namaquensis; H, R. komsbergensis.