ROMULEA COLUMNAE

Family and Genus:- See- IRIDACEAE

Common Names:- Sand crocus

Homotypic Synonyms:- Bulbocodium columnae, Ixia columnae,

Romulea bulbocodium subsp. columnae, Romulea parviflor, Trichonema

columnae.

Meaning:- Romulea (L) For Romulus, founder of Rome.

Columnae (L) For Fabio colona of Naples (1567-1640), publisher of

Phytobasanos, 1592

General description:- Herbaceous plant, with erect, hairless stems.

Scape:-

1) 1- to 3-flowered. Fruiting scape up to 5 cm above ground.

Leaves:-

1) Basal, 2.

2) Cauline, 1-6 ,0·6-1 mm diam, fairly short, erect or appressed, or long and

slender.

Flowers:-

1) Pale lilac to pale violet, with purple veins; throat yellow, occasionally almost

white.

2) Pedicels, short.

3) Bract, 0·6-1·3 cm, herbaceous, with a narrow thin scarious margin, tinged purple

or spotted with reddish-brown.

4) Bracteole, almost entirely scarious.

5) Perianth, 0·9-1·9 cm; tube 2·5-5·5 mm.

6) Segments lanceolate or oblanceolate, acute.

7) Anthers, reaching about ½ way up the perianth.

8) Stigmas, below the top of the anthers.

Fruit:-

1) Capsule, 0·5-1·1 cm, obovoid-triquetrous to subglobose-triquetrous.

Key features:-

1) Bracteole, usually scarious.

2) Flowers, almost white, pale lilac or pale violet, with darker veins.

3) Stigmas, below the top of the anthers.

4) Perianth, 0·9-1·9 cm.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Seasonally damp spots in dry open shrubby vegetation, open coniferous

woodland, roadsides and streambanks. 0-900 m.

Distribution:- Widespread but scattered in the Mediterranean region and W

Europe. Rare on Crete currently known two locations.

Flowering time:- Feb-Apr.

Photos by:- Yiannis Gavalas