Cormous geophyte mostly 6-15cm high; corm rounded at base with curved acuminate teeth. Leaves 3-6, basal, threadlike, rather stiff, narrowly 4-grooved and hairless. Flowers pink to magenta to white, 28-38mm long, often with a purplish zone around the yellow cup; tepal lobes are yellowish-green and dark striped on the reverse; styles overtop the anthers by a couple of millimetres.

The flowers in this genus only open on warm sunny days, usually around midday.

The peduncles (flower stems) of most of the species in this genus are highly mobile and bend down after pollination, straightening again when seeds are mature and ready to be shed.

Common name Froetang is derived from the Portuguese 'fruta'; the young capsules are edible and favoured by baboons.

Genus named after Romulus the founder and first king of Rome; the genus is represented in Italy.

It is a proclaimed weed in Australia.