Romulea tetragona

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 : 69

3. Basal foliage leaves 4-winged, H-shaped in section and usually conspicuously ciliate; peduncles hairy ........ .......................................................................................................................................... 20. R. tetragona

3’. Basal foliage leaves 2- or 4-(5-8)-grooved, not H-shaped in section; peduncles glabrous .......................... 4

4. Upper part of the basal foliage leaves 5-8-grooved; plants aquatic with the corms submerged .................. 5

4’. Upper part of the basal foliage leaves 2- or 4-grooved, sometimes channelled above; plants not aquatic although sometimes growing in marshy ground ........................................................................................ 6