Romulea sabulosa making a statement in numbers

These crocus-like blooms of Romulea sabulosa were photographed in September east of Vanrhynsdorp. The flowers are also often seen in spring near the towns of Calvinia and Nieuwoudtville.

The leaves are narrow and quill-like with a longitudinal groove on top. Plants reach 10 cm to 40 cm in height. The plants do well in full sun and grow in both clayey and sandy soil. A stand of the same flowers as seen here indicates a good deposit of seeds in the recent past.

The species resembles R. monadelpha that has thick black filaments that are fused in a column (Manning, 2009; Eliovson, 1984; iSpot).