Thursday, March 8, 2012

A Mystery Moraea

Edit: Two Three experts have told me now that this is Moraea schlechteri, one of the former Homerias.  So the mystery is solved.  Thanks!

This came to me in a pot labeled "Romulea."  I think we can all agree that it's not a Romulea, but that leaves the question of what it actually is.

I think it's a Moraea, and looking through the Goldblatt book, it strongly resembles Moraea elsiae in many ways, but not in all of them:

Similarities to M. elsiae:  Flower color, size (the flowers are small, about an inch across / 2.5 cm), branching pattern, position of leaves, shape of anthers and style branches.  I can't find a listing for any other Moraea with this combination of style shape and branching pattern.

Differences:  Stems are not sticky; flowers last two+ days (rather than one); ovary of flower is inside the spathe rather than outside; spathe is supposed to be brown at the tip; illustration in Goldblatt shows the nectar guides as stippled (although text says they are dark yellow); M. elsiae is supposed to bloom in late spring (Nov-Dec in South Africa, equivalent to May-June here in California), whereas this plant is starting to bloom in February.







It would be nice if this actually is M. elsiae, since that's a rare species in the wild and I'd like to help conserve it.  But I'm wondering if maybe it's an obscure member of the Homeria group, one that doesn't show up in my books.  Or maybe a Hexaglottis?

What do you think?  Please post a comment if you have any ideas on what it could be.  Thanks.

3 comments:

  1. This seems to be Moraea schlechteri, a member of the Homeria group.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks very much, Julian. That looks like a pretty good match. I can't find any photos online that have nectar guides, but the overall form of the plant is right, as are the styles and anthers...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Julian, a second expert has confirmed your identification. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete

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