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Literature review
(DE VOS, 1972; MANNING & GOLDBLATT, 1996; MANNING & GOLDBLATT,
2001). They are 50 to 550 mm in height with a stem that is subterranean or reaches
300 mm above the ground (DE VOS, 1983; MANNING & GOLDBLATT, 2001). The
plant has 3 to 4 leaves of which one is a basal leaf. Leaves are narrowly or widely
grooved with 4 grooves and are sometimes minutely ciliate or filiform (DE VOS, 1983;
MANNING & GOLDBLATT, 2001).
R. flava populations are widespread in the southern African winter-rainfall zone
(MANNING & GOLDBLATT, 2001). These plants grow in sandy or clay soils from
Namaqualand in the north to Humansdorp in the southeast where it occurs in fynbos
and renosterveld (MANNING & GOLDBLATT, 2001). MANNING & GOLDBLATT
(2001) places this species in the subgenus Romulea.
2.2.8 Romulea leipoldtii
Flowers are white to cream with a yellow cup and sweetly scented (DE VOS, 1983;
MANNING & GOLDBLATT, 2001). Tepals are elliptic and 18 to 35 mm long.
Filaments are 5 to 8 mm long and anthers are 5 to 8 mm long. Fruiting peduncles are
bent and later erect (MANNING & GOLDBLATT, 2001). Outer bracts are green with
inconspicuous membranous margins. Inner bracts have colourless or brown speckled
membranous margins (DE VOS, 1983; MANNING & GOLDBLATT, 2001). R.
leipoldtii flowers from September to October (DE VOS, 1972; MANNING &
GOLDBLATT, 2001). These plants usually have 4 to 6 flowers or more and are 100
to 300 mm in height, with some plants reaching up to 600 mm (DE VOS, 1972;
MANNING & GOLDBLATT, 2001). The stem reaches 50 to 350 mm above ground
(DE VOS, 1983; MANNING & GOLDBLATT, 2001). The plant has 4 to 6 leaves of
which the lower 2 are basal. These leaves are grooved narrowly with 4 grooves
(MANNING & GOLDBLATT, 2001).
R. leipoldtii occurs from the Bokkeveld Mountains in the Northern Cape Province in
the north to Klipheuwel near Malmesbury in Western Cape Province in the south
where it is found growing in damp sandy soil (DE VOS, 1983; MANNING &
GOLDBLATT, 2001). This species is closely allied with R. tabularis (MANNING &
GOLDBLATT, 2001). The main difference is the larger, bicoloured, cream to white
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