Flora of New Zealand Series

Onion Grass

Slender tufts. Corm c. 1 cm diam., globose, rounded at base where smooth brown tunic splits into acuminate teeth bent to one side. Leaves 10-30 cm × 1-2 mm, rush-like, compressed-cylindrical, narrowly grooved, dark shining green. Scapes hidden by sheathing leaf-bases, 2-4- (10) from each corm, 5-15 cm long, stouter than leaves, semiterete, arched over after flowering; spathe-valves 2, long-persistent, outer longer, greenish with fine brown veins, inner with membranous reddish-brown flecked margins. Flowers lilac-pink, rosy-cerise or magenta, with yellow centre and violet-blue band at throat, 1.5-2 cm long, to 3 cm diam.; tube very short; outer lobes greener on back than inner. Capsules c. 1cm long, short-cylindrical, scapes straightening when capsules mature. Seeds 2 mm long, reddish-brown, globose-triangular.

N. North Auckland; Auckland - Auckland City, Wairoa, Tauranga, Mt Maunganui; Wellington - near Masterton. In pasture, on roadsides and waste land.

(S. Africa)

First record: Healy 1944; 229, as "Romulea probably R. rosea (Linn.) Eckl."; two years later Healy (T.R.S.N.Z. 75, 1946, 403) reported " . . . flowering material from . . . Mangonui . . . has made possible definite identification as R. rosea (Linn.) Eckl."

First collection: "Oruaiti and Maungonui, North Auckland", R. B. Steele, 21.10.1940 (CHR 25134).

FL. 8-9.

De Vos (J. S. African Bot. Suppl. No.9, 1972, 1-307) monographed S. African Romulea. Plants of R. rosea in N.Z. match her description of R. rosea var. australis (Ewart)de Vos which is naturalised in Australia, St Helena, Tristan da Cunha and Guernsey.

A small grass-like garden escape, established and increasing in pasture, grassy waste land, roadsides, lawns and playing turf. Insignificant, and unpalatable to livestock, it is almost certainly more widespread and abundant in North Auckland, Bay of Plenty, and Poverty Bay than is known at present.