Romuleas in bloom

Mary Sue Ittner msittner@mcn.org
Tue, 25 Feb 2003 23:18:31 PST
Dear All,

I continue to have one Romulea bloom after another. I find this a very 
satisfying genus since if you grow quite a few different species the bloom 
time is really extended. And they often bloom the second or third year from 
seed. I have been adding pictures to the Romulea wiki page:
http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/…
I am hoping to convince Mary Wise that they really are worth growing.

Lauw questioned the identity of one I showed earlier that I had grown from 
seed from Dirk Wallace from Australia as Romulea komsbergensis. Lauw 
uploaded some images of ones he grew which I added to the wiki. His 
questioning me made realize I hadn't tried to key it out which Robin 
Attrill has pointed out is really necessary with Romulea seed. I have had 
many disappointments so should have done it right away. I have three 
Romulea monographs for South African Romuleas so that really helps as does 
the new Encyclopedia. Plus a couple of weeks after the first one bloomed I 
also had a bloom of another Romulea komsbergensis from IBSA seed. From a 
distance the two plants looked a lot alike, but when I examined them 
closely they were very different. Romulea komsbergensis has a brown center 
in the middle of the yellow cup. The backs were different and the bracts 
were different too. I think the one from Dirk could be Romulea cruciata. It 
least is fits perfectly except I'll have to wait to look at the corm. It 
looks a bit like Lauw's picture of Romulea rosea. The shape of the corm of 
R. cruciata and rosea is different so we shall see. The colors of the 
flowers, the bracts, the size of the flowers and the back of the petals of 
the plant from Dirk all fit for Romulea cruciata.

Also blooming for the first time is a small bright pink flower that was 
supposed to be Romulea monticola and is probably Romulea rosea and will not 
be kept.

I have a couple of European ones in bloom right now. Romulea linaresii I 
like even though it has a small flower, but I was really impressed with the 
bloom of a Romulea I got from Jane's surplus sale. She called it Romulea 
clusiana. I notice that sometimes that species is called Romulea 
bulbocodium var. clusiana. What do most people call it? It is really 
pretty. The one my husband photographed today is notched. Is that usual?

I also have about four yellow flowered species in bloom I haven't included 
pictures of. There is at least one I need to figure out. Romulea flava is a 
long blooming species. I have white and yellow flowered varieties. And I 
like Romulea diversiformis a lot too even though I find it hard to 
photograph. Eventually I'll add some pictures of the yellow ones.

Since Mark asked I added a couple of Oxalis pictures to the Oxalis page to 
keep Sheila's palmifrons company. This time of the year I just love Oxalis 
obtusa and am so grateful that I got introduced to it.

Mary Sue




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