Romulea is a genus in the Iridaceae family of about 90 species that is found both in South Africa and in Europe. Rootstock is a corm, globose, bell shaped to top shaped, compressed or asymmetric with a circular to crescent shaped basal ridge. This genus has flowers reminiscent of Crocus. Many are quite striking, especially the South African species and there is a great variation in colour and markings of the flowers. They are easy to grow in pots and many are easy from seed, flowering rather quickly in some cases.

Romulea monadelpha is a low geophyte of 1530 cm high, with a subterranean stem that grows from a corm with a rounded base, which has a tunic with curved acuminate teeth. Its three to five thread-like leaves grow directly out of the soil and are 12 mm in diameter, and have four grooves along their lengths. Its flowers sit individually at the tip of a flower stalk (or pedicel) and are subtended by two bracts that both mostly have brown papery margins. The outer bract usually has one keel on the upper side and a narrow papery margin, the inner bract has two keels with a wider papery margin. The trimerous flowers are without scent, burgundy red with elaborately coloured blotches with black and cream in the cup, but the population around the Gannaga Pass population has salmon coloured flowers and large black and light grey markings. The six tepals are oval and may be slightly indented at the tip, 2½4 cm long. The three filaments are oblong in shape and are firmly pressed together or even fused to form a column of 34 mm long, mostly without hairs and topped by 11½ cm long anthers. When the fruit is ripe, the flower stalk is curved. The flowers of this species can be found in August and September.