Bothalia 41,2: 269–276 (2011) Romulea pilosa and R. quartzicola (Iridaceae: Crocoideae), two new species from the southern African winter rainfall region, with nomen- clatural corrections including new names for R. amoena, R. neglecta and R. rosea var. reflexa J.C. MANNING*, P. GOLDBLATT** and A.D. HARROWER*** Keywords: Iridaceae, new species, nomenclature, Romulea Maratti, southern Africa, taxonomy ABSTRACT Romulea pilosa J.C.Manning & Goldblatt and R. quartzicola J.C.Manning & Goldblatt are two narrow endemics from the southern African winter rainfall region. An early, fragmentary collection of R. pilosa from Riviersonderend lacked the diagnostic corm and was thus mistakenly associated with R. tetragona (sect. Ciliatae) as var. flavandraM.P.de Vos because of the highly distinctive pilose, H-shaped leaf. The rediscovery of the taxon in the wild shows it to be a previously unrecognized member of sect. Aggregatae, distinguished by its unusual foliage and bright orange flowers. R. quartzicola was grown to flowering from seeds collected from quartz patches in southern Namaqualand and proved to be a new species of sect.Ciliatae , distinguished by its early flowering, short, subclavate leaves with reduced sclerenchyma strands, and bright yellow flowers with short bracts. R. neglecta M.P.de Vos, a rare endemic from the Kamiesberg in Northern Cape, is a later homonym for the Mediterranean R. neglecta Jord. & Fourr., and the earliest name for this plant is shown to be R. speciosa (Ker Gawl.) Baker, typified by an illustration in Andrews’ The botanist’s repository. An epitype is designated to fix the application of the name. We have also examined the type illustration of R. pudica (Sol. ex Ker Gawl.) Baker, hitherto treated as an uncertain species, and are confident that it represents the species currently known as R. amoena Schltr. ex Bég., and takes priority over it as being the earlier name. The type of R. reflexa Eckl., a new name for the later homonym I. reflexa Thunb. and the basionym of R. rosea var. reflexa (Eckl.) Bég., has been mistakenly identified as an Ecklon collection but is in fact the collection that formed the basis of Thunberg’s I. reflexa. This collection is actually a form of R. flava Lam., and the name R. rosea var. re- flexais thus moved to the synonomy of that species. The variety currently known under this name should now be known as R. rosea var. muirii (N.E.Br.) Goldblatt & J.C.Manning. Finally, the protologue of R. parviflora Eckl., until now treated under the synonomy of R. obscura Klatt var. obscura, is in fact consistent with R. rosea var. australis (Ewart) M.P.de Vos, and we therefore include the name in the synonomy of the latter. INTRODUCTION 2004, 2006), and a further two highly local endemics are described here, bringing to 83 the number of spe- Romulea Maratti, one of the larger genera of Iri- cies recorded from southern Africa and raising the total daceae (Goldblatt & Manning 2008), is widely distrib- number in the genus to ± 97 spp. uted through eastern sub-Saharan Africa, the Medi- terranean and the Near East. It is centred in the winter Romulea pilosa, a spring-flowering species endemic rainfall region of southern Africa, where 80 % of the to stony renosterveld in the Overberg south of Rivier- species occur (De Vos 1972, 1983; Manning & Goldblatt sonderend, was collected at least as long ago as the 2001, 2004, 2006). early 1930s but the fragmentary material was misidenti- fied until recently. It is named for the distinctive, pilose Flower structure in the genus is conservative (Gold- leaves. R. quartzicola, a recently discovered, winter- blatt et al. 2002), with a few notable exceptions, and flowering species from quartz patches in the southwest- characters of the corm are essential in the primary subdi- ern corner of the Knersvlakte, is named for its unusual vision of the genus into subgenera and sections (Manning habitat. We also deal with the nomenclature of Romulea & Goldblatt 2001, 2004). Flower colour and markings, as neglecta M.P.de Vos (1983), a later homonym. The earli- well as the texture and details of the membranous mar- est legitimate name for the species is R. speciosa (Ker gins of the bracts provide the primary specific characters. Gawl.) Baker (1877), which coincidentally has the same Additional valuable anatomical characters include the type as R. neglecta. distribution of vascular bundles in the leaf and the devel- opment of sclerenchyma caps and strands. Collections at BOL, NBG, PRE and SAM, the main herbaria with good representation of Cape species, were Five new species have been described since the consulted (herbarium acronyms after Holmgren et al. last review of the genus (Manning & Goldblatt 2001, 1990). * Compton Herbarium, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Private Bag X7, 7735 Claremont, Cape Town / Research Centre for TAXONOMY Plant Growth and Development, School of Biological and Conservation Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, Private Bag 1. Romulea pilosa J.C.Manning & Goldblatt, sp. X01, Scottsville 3209, South Africa. nov. ** B.A. Krukoff Curator of African Botany, Missouri Botanical Gar- den, P.O. Box 299, St. Louis, Missouri 63166, USA. *** Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, South African National Ad sectionem Aggregatae M.P.de Vos pertinens et Biodiversity Institute, Private Bag X7, 7735 Claremont, Cape Town. recognita caule subterraneo vel breviter aerio, foliis rela- MS. received: 2011-04-14. tive brevibus falcatis H-formibus 4–6 mm latis, margin- 270 Bothalia 41,2 (2011) bus late alatis ciliatisque, floribus salmoneis vel auran- this small group. Its relatively short, falcate, H-shaped tiacis cupulo flavo, tubo perianthii infundibuliformi ± 5 leaves 4–6 mm wide, with ciliate, winged margins, and mm longo parte inferiori ± 1 mm longo, tepalis oblan- its salmon to orange flowers with a yellow cup, make ceolatis 20–30 × 7–10 mm, filamentis 5–6 mm longis it instantly recognizable in the genus. Similar winged, minute pilosis in dimidio inferiori, antheris ± 4 mm ciliate leaves are known only in two other species in longis. the genus, R. hirsuta Schltr. and R. tetragona M.P.de Vos. Although associated in sect. Hirtae Bég. by De TYPE.—Western Cape, 3420 (Bredasdorp): Farm Vos (1972) on the basis of their similar leaf morphol- Fonteinkloof, between Riviersonderend and Protem, hill ogy, these two species have fundamentally different W of homestead, (–AA), 15 Aug. 2009, Manning 3220 corm tunic morphologies, leading Manning & Gold- (NBG, holo.; MO, iso.). blatt (2001) to segregate them respectively to subgen. Romulea sect. Cilatae (M.P.de Vos) J.C.Manning & Plants ± 60 mm high; stem subterranean or shortly Goldblatt and subgen. Spatalanthus (Sweet) Baker. The aerial, simple or with up to 2 branches. Corm subglo- discovery of a third, evidently unrelated species with bose, asymmetric, obliquely flattened towards base similar, H-shaped and winged leaves now suggests that with crescent-shaped basal ridge; tunics hard, smooth, this unusual leaf morphology has evolved independently dark brown, split into clusters of convergent fibrils at least three times within the genus. The three species on basal ridge and splitting along clusters into nar- concerned occupy quite different geographical regions row vertical strips, drawn into short fibrils up to 2 mm with differing ecology, and the adaptive value of this long above. Cataphylls 3, membranous, flushed green- leaf type is not immediately clear. ish above ground. Foliage leaves 2, lowermost 1 basal, blades falcate, H-shaped in section, lowermost 50–70 Within sect. Aggregatae, Romulea pilosa is evidently × 4–6 mm, upper shorter, lateral ribs reduced, median most closely allied to R. dichotoma (Thunb.) Baker and (apparently marginal) ribs extended laterally to form R. jugicola M.P.de Vos, both of which typically have flange-like wings 1–2 mm wide along each side of aerial stems, ciliate peduncles, and a solitary basal leaf blade, densely villous along margins of wings with hairs with ciliate rib margins. The leaves of R. dichotoma in 1–2 mm long in two diverging rows. Inflorescence of particular tend to have wider longitudinal grooves, with solitary flowers; peduncles angled in section and vil- the marginal ribs prominently expanded and almost lous along angles in distal part; outer bracts subobtuse, wing-like. Both species are found on clay soils in renos- 13–15 mm long, green with narrow, translucent mem- terveld communities in the southern Cape. R. jugicola, branous margins, strongly keeled along median and known only from the foothills of the Kammanassie Mtns submarginal veins, longitudinally inflexed along sub- in the Little Karoo, is distinguished by its well-exserted marginal veins, median keel sometimes double, keel aerial stems, up to 30 mm tall, with a well-developed, and submarginal veins densely pubescent, inner bracts fibrous neck around the base, and orange-yellow peri- green with broad translucent white margins, ± as long anth; R. dichotoma is more widespread, extending from as outer, bicarinate with keels densely pubescent. Flow- Stanford to Humansdorp, and has mostly magenta or ers deeply cup-shaped, cup ± 10 mm deep, salmon-pink rarely salmon-pink flowers with a yellow cup. It is most to dull orange but golden yellow in lower half to two evidently separated from R. pilosa by its generally taller thirds, yellow extending beyond cup margin onto lower stem, up to 350 mm high, usually branched dichoto- third of limb, outer tepals flushed coppery on reverse, mously near the top, and narrower, distinctly 4-ribbed unscented, 30–40 mm diam.; perianth tube funnel- leaves, 1–2 mm in diameter. shaped, 5 mm long with lower narrow portion ± 1 mm long, tepals oblanceolate, 20–30 × 7–10 mm. Stamens The leaves of Romulea pilosa are anatomically con- yellow; filaments inserted at base of cup, free, 5–6 mm sistent with sect.