Romulea tortilis Baker

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

40. Romulea tortilis Baker

Bull. Herb. Boissier , sér. 2, 4: 1003 (1904); M . P . de Vos , J . S . African Bot., Suppl. 9: 132 (1972); Fl. S . Africa 7(2), fasc. 2: 33 (1983). — Type: Schlechter 4890, South Africa, Western Cape, near Porterville (holo-, Z; iso-, B, G, GRA, K!, PRE!, SAM!) .

Plants 6-12 cm, stem subterranean or reaching 3 cm above ground; corm symmetrical, bellshaped with a circular rim of fibrils. Leaves 2-5, basal and usually cauline, tightly sinuous, narrowly 4-grooved, sometimes minutely ciliate, 0.5- 1 mm diam.; outer bracts without visible membranous margins, inner bracts with wider brown or brown-edged membranous margins. Flowers old-rose with dark red blotches around the yellow cup, tepals elliptic, 15-25 mm long; filaments 5-6 mm long, anthers 3.5-5 mm long; style sometimes multifid with more than 6 branches. Flowering: July-Sep.

Romulea tortilis is poorly known and is distinguished from R. hirsuta by its sinuous or twisted leaves. Restricted to Western Cape Province, South Africa, it has been recorded on sandstone slopes from Clanwilliam in the north to Piketberg in the south.