@JoC Do you have a copy pf the ERICA pocketbook?
It describes this so well and the drawings show all the diagnostics.
Also one can compare it with the other similar species with the anther appendages
My sad story was finding the Bolus specimen collected in Fish Hoek 1918. nothing like that now, and not even when we were children,
My observation was from the reserve at Cape Point.
It has the links to Bolus. @Luisa - the other similar Ericas with the strange anther appendages are only found at Cape Point - tourists drive past them and don’t know what they are missing.
I’ll see if I can find some links to attach.
Have you looked at the Ericas at Kew/Wisley? I always wonder how similar the species look when growing there compared to native area and indeed how much effect collecting an odd sample of seed might have.
Yes I have been down in the seed bank at Wakehurst. I also went to the princess of wales conservatory at kew before it was opened, bit odd to be there before any plants or the hoards of people.
We never went without it, rain or shine, so my copy is quite battered.
The most important things to compare with the little white Cape Point plants is the shape of the anther appendages. But then the snag is they’re REDLISTED, so we common mortals were not permitted to pick them (even with my permit) - so that’s why I tried to get close ups into the mouth of the flowers. THEN the wind would do it’s best to blur the shots.
But we had fun.
Think you may like to have a look at these two observations @JoC
The Muraltia needs views of the horned capsules to assist the ID.
THEN
the WHITE Romulea is rather special - the yellow one is most often mentioned.
I think I have some other interesting observations lately Shall I attach them here?
Some of my links have become corrupted - CASABIO no longer works
OPERATION WILDFLOWER the same.
The the BOLUS site seems to find it’s way if I press the F5 key.
Ho Hum!!!
The general difficulty I have with many ZA flowers is that they are completely unknown to me as actual plants, so I only have descriptions and pictures in books/online to help me.
The family Iridaceae is one I know, and these seem Iridaceous (if that’s a word) but using Strelitzia even to determine a genus is not that easy. I think it is subfamily Crocoideae, (individual flowers always sessile) but within that there are ca 25 genera.
Assuming you know them well enough to say it IS Romulea….
The genus Romulea has 95 species worldwide ….
The Strelizia key for Romulea starts with corm details, only then does flower colour come into it. I note that some flower colour is variable, as you have pointed out.
Strelitzia key has 15. Style branches deeply divided, occasionally multifid. I can’t tell.
MMK WFG 3 (the book) has two entries, neither seem to me to be very similar to each other, so those drawings not helpful to me for an ID.
On the positive side, R. flava var flava in SA Wildflower Guide 8 (photo) is very like your specimen. All sources agree it is common (which are likely to be the plants we find most often).
We very seldom dug anything up (too many protected specie)- but the corms are sometimes very deep and never made sense to me, anyway.
But I thought you’d like this one (I’m not worrying about agreements)
The yellow version can also be tricky there is another yellow one on the peninsula.
Must get back to the Romulea. especially those taken on Rondebosch Common - still so many to share.
Today I’ve been fretting with Aspalathus - there are about 53 species on the peninsula - better than the 100 or so Ericas - Wish I could just post them regardless - but it seems pointless to not make an effort - generally I/we have tried before - but there is much more on the Internet now.
Thanks Jo - Just thought that you might find the fruit interesting.
Muraltia are really very difficult - so any with fruit are interesting.
I have 25 species that have been recorded as growing om the Peninsula. but it’s a quest finding the names from photos. And one needs to do more to see and compare if others have horned capsules.
This one was named in the Common species list.
Another species that I thought you might find fun.
Personal history - when we were very young Fish Hoek was a tiny village with open fields and sand dunes for us to roam - some common plant names we always knew and Froetangs (Romulea) was one - we ate the fruit of many and sucked the stems of Oxalis,-- nectar from nasturtiums.
Until iSpot I always thought the yellow Peninsula Romuleas were Romulea flava then when following the fires I became aware of Romulea triflora - there is a difference, one just needs to look out for the little things.
I’ve got lots more photos to share and compare - one just needs to find the time.
I think this one was interesting because of the aberration with the number of tepals - frequently found after fires.
See this also - never found again. Double Sorrel, Cape Point - 2005 | Observation | Southern Africa | iSpot Nature
