Onion Grass

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©Photo: (CC BY 2.5 AU) Michael Bedingfield via natureshare.org.au

Romulea rosea var. australis

Small grasslike introduced plant to 10 cm tall with 5-10 thin tough grooved leaves arising from a fleshy bulbous root (corm). Six bright yellow-throated pink lance-shaped petals, three greenish underneath with a purple stripe.

Details
Flora Type
Lilies, orchids
Other Common Names
Guildford Grass , Guilford Grass
Distinctive Features

Flowers 2-3 cm in width.
Biology

Perennial. Common weed of roadsides, pastures and compressed soils in areas with low competition from other perennial plants. Need a warm temperature to germinate, hence favour bare ground. Has invaded many grasslands. Looks like a grass and behves like an annual, dying back at the end of summer.
Native Status
Introduced
Flowering Time

Aug-Nov
Taxonomy
Phylum
Tracheophyta (Vascular Plants)
Class
Magnoliopsida (Flowering Plants)
Order
Asparagales
Family
Iridaceae
Genus
Romulea
Species
rosea

Source: Atlas of Living Australia

Introduced from South Africa. Spread by corellas who eat the distinctive cylindrical seed capsules. The genus name refers to the legendary founder of Rome, Romulus, and alludes to the abundance of one of the species in the Roman countryside.

Interesting Facts
Native Status
Introduced