Image 1 of 10
© Harry Rose from South West Rocks, Australia, some rights reserved (CC-BY) · Wikimedia Commons
1 / 10
Romulea rosea
rosy sandcrocus
Overview
Romulea rosea is a small cormous perennial growing 4-10 inches (10-25 cm) tall, sprouting each year from an underground corm. The leaves are narrow, wiry, and channelled, grass-like, 4-12 inches (10-30 cm) long, arising from the base. Cup- to star-shaped flowers 0.8-1.4 inches (20-35 mm) across open singly on short stalks, pink to rosy purple with a yellow throat, and expand only in sunshine, closing on dull days and in the afternoon. Flowering occurs in late winter and spring. After flowering the leaves die back and the plant survives summer as a dormant corm. It spreads by seed and by small daughter corms, forming dense colonies. Outside its native range it has become a widespread weed of pastures, lawns, and roadsides, where the persistent corms resist removal. The foliage is associated with stock poisoning in heavily infested pasture. Each corm can stay dormant for more than one season, allowing infestations to rebuild after control.
Native Range
Native to southern Africa, mainly the Cape region of South Africa, where it grows in seasonally moist grassland and sandy flats. It has naturalised widely in southern Australia, New Zealand, and parts of North America, becoming a weed of pastures and disturbed ground.Suggested Uses
Rarely planted deliberately because of its weed status; where present it appears as a naturalised plant in lawns, pastures, and disturbed sites. In its native range it occurs in seasonal grassland. Containment and removal are the usual aims rather than cultivation.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height4" - 10"
Width/Spread4" - 8"
Reaches mature size in approximately 1 years
Bloom Information
Flowers from late winter into spring, mainly July to October in the southern hemisphere, with each bloom opening on sunny days and closing in dull weather. Individual flowers last a few days, and a plant flowers over 3-5 weeks. Seed sets quickly after flowering, before the leaves die back.
Detailed Descriptions
Flower Description
pink to rosy purple with yellow throatFoliage Description
greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 6-10 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight
Care & Maintenance
Care Guide
Grows in full sun in a wide range of soils, from sand to clay, and tolerates seasonal waterlogging in winter and drought in summer dormancy. The corm sprouts with autumn and winter rain and dies back by early summer. It needs no cultivation and spreads readily once established, which is why it is treated as a weed in many regions. Hand removal must take up all the small corms, as fragments left behind regrow. Mowing does not prevent seeding, since flowers form low to the ground.Pruning
No pruning is needed. The leaves and flower stems die back naturally into summer dormancy. Removing seed heads before they ripen reduces spread, though the corms persist regardless.Container Growing
✓ Suitable for container growing
Minimum container size: 1 gallons