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| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
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Romulea columnae (Lesser sand crocus) |
Romulea columnae (IRIDACEAE.)
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000.
Website launch: Oct-2002
Taxonomic update: Aug-2026
Code update: Jul-2026 |
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| Nomenclature and General Information |
Species name : |
Romulea columnaeSebast. & Mauri
Published in Fl. Rom. 18 (1818) |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
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Plant Family : |
Iridaceae Juss. (The Iris Family)
23 species from the Iridaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | Lesser sand crocus, Small-flowered sand crocus |
Maltese name(s) : |
Żagħfran tal-blat ċar, Żagħfran tal-blat żgħir |
Status for Malta : |
Indigenous. Present on the Maltese islands before man |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct |
Growth form : |
Germination type [info]: Monocotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Geophyte ( perennials bearing underground bulbs, tubers, rhizomes, stolons, etc. ) |
Legal Protection : |
Not legally protected till the last update of this website (22/Aug/2025) |
Red List (1989) : |
Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands |
Flowering Time : |
February – March |
Colour of Flowers: |
White or Lilac |
Toxicity: |
Not particularly toxic |
Name Derivation : |
Romulea: A Genus named for Romulus, a legendary leader of the Romans and founder of Rome. (Roman origin); 2. Further Info: [1] [2].
columnae: It is the Latin name for column or resembling a column. (Latin origin); 2. Since there is no particular connection with the tiny plant of Romulea columnae, it is more likely that the name is dedicated in honor of Fibius Columna (Fabio Colonna 1567-1640) author of the first botanical book with copper-plate illustrations, published in Naples 1592.
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Planting in rural areas : |
Can be planted in rural areas according to ERA Guidelines |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Botanical Description |
Basal leaves 2; cauline leaves 1-6 ,0.6-1 mm in diameter, fairly short, erect or appressed, or long and slender. Scape 1- to 3-flowered. Pedicels short. Flowers pale lilac to pale violet, with purple veins; throat yellow, occasionally almost white. Bract 0.6-1.3 cm, herbaceous, with a narrow scarious margin, tinged purple or spotted with reddish-brown. Bracteole almost entirely scarious. Perianth 0.9-1.9 cm; tube 2.5-5.5 mm; segments lanceolate or oblanceolate, acute. Anthers reaching about ½ way up the perianth. Stigmas below the top of the anthers. Capsule 0.5-1.1 cm, obovoid-triquetrous to subglobose-triquetrous. Fruiting scape up to 5 cm above ground. | |
Habitat in Europe |
Data will be available in the next update of this website.
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Preferred habitat in Malta |
Footpaths, exposed disturbed rocky ground, low or unvegitated garigue, damp rock basins
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Distributional range |
Mediterranean region and W. Europe, northwards to S.W. England, mainly near the coast.
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Distributional maps from various sources |
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Flora Europaea till 1993) |
the Azores, the Balaeric Islands, Britain (excl. Northern Ireland and Channel islands), Corse, Crete, France (incl. Monaco and Channel Islands but excluding Corse), Greece, Spain (incl. Andorra but excl. the Balaerics), Italy (mainland, excl. Sicily and Sardinia), Portugal, Sardinia, Sicily and/or Malta, Turkey (European part)
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
Country codes
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AE(G) Ag Az Bl Br Ca Co Cr Cy Ga Gr Hs IJ It Li LS Lu Ma Md Sa Si Tu(A E)
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| Links & Further literature
(4 papers) |
Google Web |
Google Images |
Google Scholar |
Research Gate |
Wikipedia |
JSTOR |
GBIF |
Med Checklist |
Cat. of Life |
EoL |
IPNI |
World Flora Online |
Plants of the World Online |
Vienna Virt. Herb. |
RBGE Herbarium |
KEW Herbarium |
MNHN |
Garden Database |
IUCN |
TROPICOS | |
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Sales and Donations
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Sales of seeds of wild plant from Malta: Seeds of selected wild plant species may be available for academic studies, research purposes, or personal use. Please note that not all species can be supplied or exported. Availability is subject to seasonal seed production, stock levels, and applicable regulations, including Maltese legislation and CITES requirements where relevant. Protected and endemic species cannot be sold (at least without the relevant environmental permits).
How it works: First, submit a quotation request by completing the Online Quotation Form (link provided on the right side of this table). Once your request has been reviewed, you will receive confirmation regarding seed availability, export eligibility (where applicable), pricing, and any transport charges. Payments are accepted by Revolut, bank transfer (IBAN), or PayPal only; credit and debit card payments are not accepted.
Please note that local orders are currently not being accepted. Seek Maltese nurseries and NGOs for local orders.
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Online Quotation (Seeds)
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Online Purchase (Images)
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Atlas Flora Europaea
GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
