Moraea lurida

This one blooms very late in my garden, with the flowers sometimes not opening until early May. Most of the other Moraeas bloom from March to mid-April, so this is quite a contrast.

Online photos show that Moraea lurida grows in the wild in a bewildering variety of colors, including white, maroon, purple, and orange. But the selection usually available in the US is pale yellow with dark mauve markings. I have that one, and also a form that's uniform dark mauve, almost black. I'm trying to find more color forms, but I think most of them are not available in cultivation. If you know where to find them, please post a comment!

The shapes and markings of these flowers are very interesting, if not always beautiful. The flowers are reportedly pollinated by flies, so presumably that puts different evolutionary pressures on them.

The plants come from a slightly moister part of South Africa, and appear to appreciate a bit more moisture than some of the other species. I suspect they might be happiest with a bit of summer water.

This species can be crossed with at least some of the "peacock" Moraeas. The hybrids are weird and sometimes wonderful, with heavy veins and strange dark eyes.

Moraea lurida form a (pale yellow and maroon). This is the one that's generally available in the US.

Here's the plant in bud, with elaborate stripes on the backs of the tepals.

Moraea lurida form b (velvety dark maroon). This is supposedly the more common form in South Africa. I haven't yet bloomed hybrids made with this one. I believe it blooms more reliably when you burn a little bit of grass and sticks over it during the summer dormancy.

This photo was overexposed to show you the slightly orange shade in the central cup of the flower (what botanists call the tepal claws, I believe).