Romulea fibrosa 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 : 94

46. Romulea fibrosa M.P. de Vos

J. S. African Bot., Suppl. 9: 183 (1972); Fl. S. Africa 7(2), fasc. 2: 41 (1983). — Type: Fourcade 2831, South Africa, Western Cape, Uniondale, Bloubosberg (lecto-, BOL!, designated by M. P. DE VOS, 1972; isolecto-, K!) .

Plants to 35 cm high, stem reaching 8-32 cm above ground; corm with a crescent-shaped basal ridge of fibril clusters, often with fibrous neck and remains of tunics. Leaves 2-6, lowest 2 basal, narrowly 4-grooved, sometimes minutely ciliate, 0.5-1 mm diam.; outer bracts submembranous or greenish in the centre with membranous, usually rusty red margins, inner bracts with wide colorless or rusty red membranous margins. Flowers magenta to pink with diffuse purple markings around a yellow cup, tepals oblanceolate, 16-25 mm long; filaments 5-8 mm long, anthers 4-6 mm long. Fruiting peduncles suberect. Flowering: Oct.-Dec.

Romulea fibrosa occurs at relatively high elevations in sandstone-derived soils, extending from the Langeberg and Swartberg Mountains in Western Cape Province eastward to the Great Winterhoek Mountains of Eastern Cape Province. It is distinguished in section Aggregatae by the fibrous neck around the base of the stem, two basal leaves and pink or magenta flowers.