The flowers are white with a vivid blue and purple eye. Some specimens have flatter tepals than others. I have not figured out whether this is genetic, or due to slight differences in growing conditions.
Here's a form with flat tepals:
This one has recurved tepals:
When the flowers are in bud, you can see that the backs of the tepals are delicately marked in dots and lines.
Here's what it'll look like if you grow a patch of these plants. I started with just a few extra corms that I put in the ground. Ten years later, they've made a very nice clump.
Update from 2023: The photos and text above are from 2013. Ten years later, the clump of M. aristata is still there. In dry winters, only a few of the corms bloom. In good rain years, such as 2022-3, many more of the plants bloom. Here are some photos from spring 2023:
Hi there,
ReplyDeleteI would like to request your permission to use your top Moraea Aristata image as part of an awareness campaign on critically endangered flowers in the Western Cape. The campaign will mainly feature small pieces in several local newspapers and the intention is to inform communities about the critically endangered flowers that can be found, oftentimes exclusively, in their areas.
Thank you so much for your assistance.
Have a good night.
Kind regards,
Izabela Malan
Hi, Izabela.
ReplyDeletePermission granted. If any elements on your campaign appear online, please post a link here -- I would love to see them.
Good luck!
Mike
Thank you so much, Mike!
ReplyDeleteIf you would like to be credited, please email me at bella-on-toast [at] hotmail [dot] com with your full name.