Romulea triflora

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 : 90

41. Romulea triflora (Burm. f.) N.E. Br.

Kew Bull. 1929: 131 (1929); M. P. de Vos, J. S. African Bot., Suppl. 9: 122 (1972); Fl. S. Africa 7(2), fasc. 2: 32 (1983). — Crocus triflorus Burm. f., Prod. Pl. Cap.: 2 (1768). — Type: South Africa, without locality or collector (holo-, Herb. Burman) .

Plants 10-30 cm, stem usually reaching 2-15 cm above ground, rarely subterranean; corms symmetrical, bell-shaped with a circular rim of fibrils. Leaves 2-6, basal and cauline, narrowly 4-grooved, 0.5-1 mm diam.; outer bracts without visible membranous margins, inner bracts with wider colorless or brown-edged membranous margins. Flowers yellow or white with or without darker zones or markings around the yellow cup, tepals oblanceolate, 14-30 mm long; filaments 4-5 mm long, anthers 4-7 mm long. Fruiting peduncles suberect or somewhat spreading. Flowering: Aug.-Oct.

Romulea triflora is a species of low-lying sandy flats in the western half of Western Cape Province where it extends from near Citrusdal in the north to Stanford in the south. It is best known from damp flats on the southern Cape Peninsula but this appears to be an artifact of collecting. The species is very similar to R. hirsuta from which it is distinguished by its goldenyellow or rarely white flowers. Romulea hirsuta usually has deep red to pink flowers with a yellow cup.