Moraea MM 21-291

Seed parent: MM 18-161a (M. tripetala x bellendenii) X villosa

Pollen parent: MM 16-85a (aristata x gigandra) X (villosa x tulbaghensis)

The pollen parent is one of my largest hybrids. By breeding it with a flower that has unusual color patterns, I was hoping to get big flowers with unusual colors. But instead I got normal sized flowers with bland colors (although the dark green eyes are a bit interesting). 

So it goes!

Moraea MM 21-286

Seed parent: MM 12-118c (M. villosa X bellendenii)

Pollen parent: MM 18-344b (villosa X ((aristata x villosa) x neopavonia 'Sunrise')

MM 18-286a. The colors aren'y spectacular, but I like the unusual rings of color in the eye.

Moraea MM 21-283

Seed parent: MM 18-66 (M. bellendenii x aristata) X villosa

Pollen parent: MM 10-16d (neopavonia x atropunctata) X gigandra

MM 21-283a

Siblings...

Moraea MM 21-280

Seed parent: MM 18-62 (M. bellendenii x aristata) X ((aristata x villosa) x neopavonia)

Pollen parent: MM 15-89a (villosa x tulbaghensis) X villosa

The pollen parent is one of my favorite hybrids, with speckles and a bright blue eye. I crossed it with a yellow flower, hoping for offspring with spotted yellow flowers and big blue eyes. Instead, the yellow parent totally dominated.

MM 21-280a

Here's a sibling with wider eyes.

Moraea MM 21-273

Seed parent: MM 13-137c (M. tripetala X calcicola)

Pollen parent: MM 18-234a (M. bellendenii x (gigandra x (atropunctata x neopavonia))) X ((villosa x tulbaghensis) x (villosa x tulbaghensis))

This cross combined a brick red flower with a pale purple flower that sometimes induces veins and spots in its offspring. I'm not sure if the result is what I expected, but it's an interesting flower with its blotchy dashes around the eye.

Moraea MM 21-271

Seed parent: Moraea villosa F

Pollen parent: MM 13-41a 'Bonnie' (villosa B X villosa H)

This is basically a villosa species cross, but involving several colors of flower. I was hoping for a flower with the white tepals of the seed parent combined with the beautiful blue eye of the pollen parent. As often happens, I got the exact opposite. Oh well.

MM 21-171a. I admire the nice uniform leopard spots in the central cup, but they make me wonder because neither parent has a spotted cup. Among the species I breed with, only M. neopavonia and M. tulbaghensis generally have this sort of dot pattern. So I wonder if maybe the rain washed this seed over from a nearby location. 

Moraea MM 21-270

Seed parent: MM 18-34b (M. tripetala x bellendenii) X ((villosa x tulbaghensis) x villosa d)

Pollen parent: MM 18-34a (M. tripetala x bellendenii) X ((villosa x tulbaghensis) x villosa d)

MM 21-270a. I like this one. It's not spectacular, but I like the color contrasts and the precision of the markings. The parents both have that little window of color in the eye (something caused by M. bellendenii), but it is more prominent in their child.