The list below shows every species cross that produced seed. In the notes, "not viable" means the seeds looked at least marginally good enough to plant, but the seeds either did not sprout, or the seedlings died without blooming.
Moraea aristata
It would be great to get the turquoise blue eye of M. aristata combined with other flower colors and shapes, but that has been surprisingly difficult so far. Hybrids made with aristata tend to look mostly like the other parent, although they are sometimes quite a bit more vigorous than either parent.
Crosses with M. aristata as the seed parent: atropunctata. 2 crosses, have not yet bloomed.
bellendenii. 1 cross, seed not viable.
calcicola. 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 03-04. These look mostly like
calcicola.
gigandra. 2 crosses. 1 not viable, 1 bloomed:
MM 11-28. These look a lot like
gigandra, with a little hint of the two-tone eye.
insolens. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
longiaristata form a. 1 cross bloomed:
MM 13-26. Curious little flowers with a dark blue chevron for the eye.
loubseri. 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 09-01. Pale purple tepals, fading to white. Dark purple eye.
lurida. 1 cross, not viable.
neopavonia. 7 crosses. 3 not viable, 1 died, 2 not yet bloomed, 1 bloomed:
MM 16-63.
thomasiae. Two crosses failed to set seed. One set seed; awaiting germination as of 2024.
tripetala. 1 cross, not viable.
tulbaghensis. 4 crosses, all viable. 1 has bloomed:
MM 10-37. Pale orange with a dark eye.
villosa. 11 crosses. 8 viable, 5 have bloomed:
MM 09-02,
MM 10-39,
MM 11-19,
MM 12-75,
MM 13-30. The hybrids look mostly like
villosa, and are quite vigorous.
Crosses with M. aristata as the pollen parent:
atropunctata. 2 crosses, have not yet bloomed.
bellendenii. 1 cross, bloomed but was probably self-pollinated:
MM 13-138.
debilis. 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 18-74. Intriguing small white flowers with an aristata-colored eye and blue streaks radiating from the eye. If the flower were bigger, it would be spectacular.
gigandra. 2 crosses, both bloomed:
MM 11-40.
GK 1202. They look intermediate between the two species.
longiaristata form a. 1 cross bloomed:
MM 12-149. Small flowers with interesting blue streaks and spots on them.
neopavonia. 2 crosses, have not yet bloomed.
tricuspidata. 1 bloomed:
MM 18-25. Pale violet to white flowers with a banded yellow and blue eye.
tripetala. 3 crosses, 3 bloomed:
MM 12-141,
MM 12-111,
MM 14-90. These crosses all illustrate
tripetala's tendency to create colored streaks on the tepals.
villosa. 7 crosses. 1 not viable, 5 not yet bloomed, 1 bloomed:
MM 11-31. Looks like
villosa.
I have also made about 40 crosses between
M. aristata and various
Moraea hybrids. For example,
MM 14-192.
Moraea atropunctata
These cream-colored flowers have varying numbers of brown freckles on the front, and are colored dark orange-brown on the backs of the tepals. This species has been more successful as a pollen parent than a seed parent, but that may be because I don't have a large number of corms of the species, and so haven't been able to make all that many crosses onto it. Crosses with M. atropunctata sometimes have spots on them, and the species also sometimes passes along the tendency to have a contrasting dark color on the backs of the tepals.
Crosses with M. atropunctata as the seed parent:
aristata. 2 crosses, have not yet bloomed.
bellendenii. 1 cross, seed not viable.
calcicola. 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 03-98. The brown spots of
atropunctata turned purple in this hybrid, which I have used in about 70 other crosses.
gigandra. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
insolens. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
longiaristata form a. 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 15-122. Bewitching little flowers with a wide variety of dots and streaks. Unfortunately, they have very low fertility. So far I have been able to get viable plants from only 7 crosses of 15-122, out of scores of attempts, and none of those have yet bloomed.
loubseri. 1 cross, seed not viable.
lurida. 1 cross failed to set seed, 1 set seed and awaiting germination as of 2024.
neopavonia (?). 2 crosses, 1 not viable, 1 bloomed:
MM 99-00.
tripetala. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
tulbaghensis. 2 crosses, 1 not viable, 1 has not yet bloomed.
villosa. 2 crosses. 1 not viable, 1 has not yet bloomed.
Crosses with atropunctata as the pollen parent:
atistata. 2 crosses, have not yet bloomed.
bellendenii. 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 18-11. Pale orange flowers with a few speckles.
gigandra. 3 crosses, 2 viable, 1 bloomed:
MM 12-104. Pale purplish tepals, maybe tinged in a tiny bit of pink. Narrow unspectacular eye.
loubseri. 2 crosses, both bloomed:
MM 12-13,
19-110. Light purple flowers with an orange central cup. The backs of the tepals are heavily spotted in purple. Fascinating flowers.
neopavonia. 5 crosses, 2 bloomed:
MM 12-70,
MM 14-138. These flowers look a lot like species
neopavonia.
tricuspidata. 1 bloomed:
MM 18-05. Cream flowers with a few speckles.
tulbaghensis. 2 crosses, 1 not viable, 1 not yet bloomed.
villosa. 5 crosses. 1 not viable, 4 bloomed:
MM 14-187,
MM 12-27,
MM 14-145,
MM 14-122. These hybrids look much like
M. villosa, but with dark markings in the center of the cup. MM 14-122 has intense green eyes.
I have also used
atropunctata in about 40 crosses with
Moraea hybrids. For example:
MM 14-94.
Moraea bellendenii
Flowers of this species are yellow and have few markings on them. They're self-fertile, which complicates any effort to hybridize them. Unless the flowers are emasculated carefully, there's a significant risk that the "hybrid" you raised for three or four years may turn out to be the species.
When successfully hybridized, M. bellendenii doesn't necessarily create yellow flowers, but to my great surprise it sometimes produces an eye that is banded or speckled with contrasting color. Another distinctive characteristic of M. bellendenii is that it blooms several weeks later than the other Peacock Moraeas, but it doesn't always pass along that tendency to its hybrids.
Crosses with M. bellendenii as the seed parent:
aristata. 1 cross, bloomed but was probably self-pollinated:
MM 13-138.
atropunctata. 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 18-11. Pale orange flowers with a few speckles.
longiaristata form a. 1 cross, not viable.
loubseri. 2 crosses. 1 not viable, 1 bloomed:
MM 12-160. Weird looking pale purple flowers, yellow eyes with a dark blue border.
lurida. 2 crosses. 1 not viable, 1 bloomed:
MM 14-53. They look mostly like
M. bellendenii, but they're different enough that I think they're hybrids.
neopavonia. 4 crosses. 1 died, 3 bloomed:
MM 13-207. Orange flower with a yellow eye. Very distinctive.
MM 15-63,
MM 15-15:
neopavonia-like flowers with interesting effects on the eye.
tripetala. 1 cross, seed not viable.
tulbaghensis. 2 failed crosses, 1 set seed and awaiting germination as of 2024.
villosa. 9 crosses. 3 not viable, 1 has not yet bloomed, 5 bloomed:
MM 14-163,
MM 13-191,
MM 15-09,
MM 15-10,
MM 15-08. MM 15-10 has banded eyes.
Crosses with M. bellendenii as the pollen parent:
aristata. 1 cross, seed not viable.
atropunctata. 1 cross, seed not viable.
debilis? 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 18-78. Very distinctive pale purple flowers with yellow eyes edged in blue. This cross was labeled "
debilis X
polystachya" but I don't believe it. It looks very much like a flower of
loubseri X
bellendenii, so I suspect this one is
debilis X bellendenii.
gigandra. 2 crosses. 1 not viable, 1 has not yet bloomed.
tripetala. 1 cross bloomed:
MM 13-196. These flowers look like a yellow
M. tripetala, and have produced interesting results in follow-on hybrids, such as
MM 18-161, which has intricately marked eyes.
villosa. 3 crosses, 1 not viable, 1 has not yet bloomed, 1 bloomed:
MM 12-118. Remarkable flowers with concentric crescents of color in the eye.
I've also used M. bellendenii in about 30 crosses with Moraea hybrids.
Moraea calcicola
This plant is not as spectacular as the other "Peacock" Moraeas. It has pale blue flowers with a small dark hairy eye. In hybrids it's not particularly assertive in terms of changing their looks.
Crosses with M. calcicola as the seed parent
insolens. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
longiaristata form b. 2 crosses, 1 not viable, 1 not yet bloomed.
loubseri. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
lurida. 1 cross, awaiting germination as of 2024.
neopavonia. 2 crosses, 1 not viable, 1 bloomed:
MM 15-23. The flowers look like a very pale version of
M. neopavonia.
thomasiae. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
tulbaghensis. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
villosa. 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 16-59. Looks very much like pure
M. villosa.
Crosses with M. calcicola as the pollen parent:
aristata. 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 03-04. These look mostly like
calcicola.
atropunctata. 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 03-98. The brown spots of
atropunctata turned purple in this hybrid, which I have used in about 70 follow-on crosses.
debilis. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
gigandra. 1 cross bloomed:
MM 13-177. Pleasant purple flowers with dark narrow eyes. The central cups in these flowers (what the botanists call the tepal claw) are quite variable, some pale like
calcicola and some dark like
gigandra. One hybrid is light colored in the inner tepals and dark in the outer tepals, a combination that's new to me.
longiaristata form a. 1 cross, not viable.
loubseri. 1 cross, not viable.
neopavonia. 3 crosses, all bloomed:
MM 14-184,
MM 13-22,
MM 15-57. The flowers all look like pale orange versions of
neopavonia.
tripetala. 1 cross bloomed:
MM 13-137. Violet flowers midway between the two parents. They have faint veining and speckles in some individuals, and are parents of some very nice hybrids, such as
MM 18-135 and
MM 18-136, both of which have very prominent veining and color blazes on the tepals.
villosa. 5 crosses. 2 not viable, 2 not yet bloomed, 1 bloomed:
MM 13-36. Looks exactly like
villosa.
I've also made about 14 crosses between M. calcicola and Moraea hybrids.
Moraea debilis
Tiny purple-blue flowers with white eyes. They self-pollinate readily, so to make hybrids it's best to use very delicate tweezers to remove the anthers, and a very small paintbrush to apply pollen. It requires a steady hand and good eyesight. Because the anthers are so small and difficult to handle, I've mostly made crosses with this one as a seed parent. As you'd expect, the hybrids are small, but they've produced interesting spots and chevron markings on the flowers.
Crosses with M. debilis as the seed parent
aristata. 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 18-74. Intriguing small white flowers with an aristata-colored eye and blue streaks radiating from the eye. If the flower were bigger, it would be spectacular.
bellendenii? 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 18-78. Very distinctive pale purple flowers with yellow eyes edged in blue. This cross was labeled "
debilis X
polystachya" but I don't believe it. It looks very much like a flower of
loubseri X
bellendenii, so I suspect this one is
debilis X bellendenii.
calcicola. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
gigandra. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
loubseri. 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 18-76. Small flowers densely speckled in purple.
neopavonia. 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 18-143. Light orange flowers with and angular orange and blue eye.
speciosa. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed. I will believe it when I see it; M. speciosa does not generally cross with the Peacock Moraeas.
thomasiae. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed. This is another one I'll have to see in flower to believe.
tulbaghensis. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
villosa. 2 crosses, 1 bloomed:
MM 18-79. Looks like a miniature
M. villosa.
My records don't show any successful crosses with M. debilis as the pollen parent, although I haven't made many tries because it's so hard to collect the miniscule anthers from these tiny flowers.
I have also made four crosses between this species and Moraea hybrids.
Moraea fergusoniae
Small white to violet flowers with yellow eyes. Goldblatt and Manning, the leading academic authorities on Moraea, say this species is an outlier among subgenus Vieusseuxia because it has multiple floppy leaves rather than individual upright ones. There are also notable genetic differences. Despite several attempts, I have had zero successful crosses between this and other species in the subgenus.
Moraea gigandra
As the name suggests, these flowers are larger and taller than the others in the genus. Hybrids made with them tend to also be larger than average. The eye in M. gigandra is quite narrow, sometimes almost absent, and it has dark coloring in the central cup. Both of these characteristics tend to show up in its hybrids.
Crosses with M. gigandra as the seed parent:
aristata. 2 crosses, both bloomed:
MM 11-40.
GK 1202. They look intermediate between the two species.
atropunctata. 3 crosses, 2 viable, 1 bloomed:
MM 12-104. Pale purplish tepals, maybe tinged in a tiny bit of pink. Narrow unspectacular eye.
bellendenii. 2 crosses. 1 not viable, 1 has not yet bloomed.
calcicola. 1 cross bloomed:
MM 13-177. Pleasant purple flowers with dark narrow eyes. The central cups in these flowers (what the botanists call the tepal claw) are quite variable, some pale like
calcicola and some dark like
gigandra. One hybrid is light colored in the inner tepals and dark in the outer tepals, a combination that's new to me.
collina (?). 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
insolens. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
longiaristata form b. 2 crosses, have not yet bloomed.
loubseri. 1 cross bloomed:
MM 12-95. Purple flowers that are intermediate between the parents.
neopavonia. 5 crosses, 2 have not yet bloomed, 3 bloomed:
MM 16-03,
MM 16-40,
MM 12-144. These look like orange versions of
M. gigandra. As usually happens when I cross a purple and orange species, these flowers are light to medium orange, and the eyes vary in size and intensity. There's sometimes a tinge of purple to the tepals that looks reddish at first glance. Interesting note: I crossed two of the MM 16-40 siblings and got flowers that vary from off white to yellow:
MM 19-56.
thomasiae. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
tripetala. 1 cross, not viable.
tulbaghensis. 3 crosses, all viable, 1 bloomed:
MM 10-04. The flowers look a lot like species
tulbaghensis.
villosa. 10 crosses, 8 viable. 4 bloomed:
MM 11-17,
MM 12-120,
MM 12-83,
MM 18-257. The flowers look a lot like
villosa, but the shape of the eye is often a bit triangular and there are often dark markings in the central cup.
Crosses with M. gigandra as the pollen parent:
aristata. 2 crosses. 1 not viable, 1 bloomed:
MM 11-28. These look a lot like
gigandra, with a little hint of the two-tone eye.
atropunctata. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
debilis. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
loubseri, 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 12-49. The flowers are intermediate between the two parents.
neopavonia. 3 crosses, 2 bloomed:
MM 12-29.
14-100. 12-29 are a couple of strange light orange colors, while 14-100 look a lot like an orange version of
gigandra.
thomasiae. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
tripetala. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
villosa. 5 crosses. 2 not viable, 2 not yet bloomed, 2 bloomed:
MM 11-24,
MM 11-89. They look very much like
M. villosa.
I've also made about 20 crosses between this M. gigandra and Moraea hybrids.
Moraea longiaristata
I have grown two very different flowers under this name. One was a tiny white flower heavily stippled with blue dots. It did not fully match the description of the species, and I thought it might be M. unguiculata, but I was told by experts online that it was probably longiaristata. Below I have labeled it longiaristata form a. The other plant was classic longiaristata, a perfect match for the species description. Unfortunately, I had only one corm of each of these, and they eventually died, so the number of crosses I was able to make with each of them was limited.
Crosses with longiaristata form a (tiny, blue spots) as the seed parent:
aristata. 1 cross bloomed:
MM 12-149. Small flowers with interesting blue streaks and spots on them.
calcicola. 1 cross, not viable.
neopavonia. 3 crosses, 1 not viable, 2 bloomed:
MM 12-150,
MM 15-108. Pale orange flowers with no spots.
thomasiae. 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 15-110. Small white flower with blue speckles. It doesn't resemble
M. thomasiae at all, so I don't know what to think about it.
villosa. 2 crosses, 1 bloomed:
MM 15-20. Looks like
M. villosa.
Crosses with longiaristata form a (tiny, blue spots) as the pollen parent:
aristata. 1 cross bloomed:
MM 13-26. Curious little flowers with a dark blue chevron for the eye.
atropunctata. 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 15-122. Bewitching little flowers with a wide variety of dots and streaks. Unfortunately, they have very low fertility. So far I have been able to get viable plants from only 7 crosses of 15-122, out of scores of attempts, and none of those have yet bloomed.
bellendenii. 1 cross, not viable.
neopavonia. 2 crosses, 1 has not yet bloomed, 1 bloomed:
MM 15-105. Looks like a small pale orange version of
M. neopavonia.
thomasiae. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
tripetala. 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 15-18. Shaped like
tripetala, but with extensive dots on the tepals. These flowers are very cute, but unfortunately they appear to be completely sterile.
tulbaghensis. 1 cross, not viable.
villosa. 2 crosses, 1 not viable, 1 bloomed:
MM 15-115. Charming little speckled flowers with two-tone eyes. Unfortunately, despite a lot of attempts they haven't ever produced seed.
I have also made 3 crosses between longiaristata form a and various Moraea hybrids.
Crosses with longiaristata form b (classic) as the seed parent:
villosa. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
Crosses with longiaristata form b (classic) as the pollen parent:
calcicola. 2 crosses, 1 not viable, 1 not yet bloomed.
gigandra. 2 crosses, have not yet bloomed.
loubseri. 1 cross, not viable.
neopavonia. 2 crosses, 1 not viable, 1 has not yet bloomed.
villosa. 1 cross, not yet bloomed.
I have also made five crosses between
longiaristata form b and various
Moraea hybrids. One has bloomed, which you can see
here.
Moraea loubseri
A very rare species known from only a single location. Fortunately, it's easy to grow in cultivation. M. loubseri is intense dark purple, with a dense black beard where the eye would normally be. The central cup is translucent jade green with black hairs on it. These characteristics are sometimes carried over in its hybrids.
Crosses with M. loubseri as the seed parent:
atropunctata. 2 crosses, both bloomed:
MM 12-13,
19-110. Light purple flowers with an orange central cup. The backs of the tepals are heavily spotted in purple. Fascinating flowers.
calcicola. 1 cross, not viable.
gigandra, 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 12-49. The flowers are intermediate between the two parents.
longiaristata form b. 1 cross, not viable.
lurida. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
neopavonia. 2 crosses. 1 has not yet bloomed, 1 bloomed:
MM 19-10. Looks like a very pale version of
M. neopavonia.
tripetala. 1 cross, not viable.
tulbaghensis. 1 cross bloomed:
MM 12-18.
unguiculata. 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 18-44. Looks like a cream-colored form of
M. loubseri.
villosa. 4 crosses. 2 not viable, 2 have not yet bloomed.
Crosses with M. loubseri as the pollen parent:
aristata. 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 09-01. Pale purple tepals, fading to white. Dark purple eye.
atropunctata. 1 cross, seed not viable.
bellendenii. 2 crosses. 1 not viable, 1 bloomed:
MM 12-160. Weird looking pale purple flowers, yellow eyes with a dark blue border.
calcicola. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
debilis. 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 18-76. Small flowers densely speckled in purple.
gigandra. 1 cross bloomed:
MM 12-95. Purple flowers that are intermediate between the parents.
longiaristata form b. 1 cross, not viable.
neopavonia. 3 crosses, 1 not viable, 2 have not yet bloomed.
tricuspidata. 1 bloomed:
MM 18-46. Looks nothing like
loubseri, so I am not sure what to think.
tripetala. 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 12-121. Vigorous dark violet flowers that look like a larger version of
tripetala.
tulbaghensis. 2 crosses, not viable.
villosa. 6 crosses. 2 not viable, 2 not yet bloomed, 2 bloomed:
MM 14-206,
MM 13-78. These hybrids look very much like
M. villosa.
I've also made about 20 crosses between this species and various
Moraea hybrids. For example:
MM 18-183.
Moraea lurida
A weird little flower. They bloom a few weeks later than most other species in the subgenus, and are pollinated by flies. The most common form is pale straw colored with deep maroon markings, almost black. That's the one you will find in cultivation. There are online photos of other forms in shades of white, red, purple, and orange, some with heavy spots, but as far as I know they are not available in cultivation.
In California, they are indeed attractive to flies, which will rapidly pollinate the flowers unless you isolate them behind screening. It's not easy to cross these flowers, but when the cross works, the results are fascinating: M. lurida hybrids often have very dark eyes, complex markings, and sometimes dark veining in the tepals.
Crosses with M. lurida as the seed parent: fergusoniae. 1 cross, not viable.
neopavonia. 2 crosses. 1 not viable, 1 has not yet bloomed.
tripetala. 2 crosses. Both viable, 1 cross bloomed:
MM 12-194.
tulbaghensis. 2 crosses. 1 not viable, 1 has not yet bloomed.
villosa. 5 crosses. 2 have not yet bloomed, 1 looks selfed:
MM 12-192, 2 bloomed:
MM 13-197,
MM 12-193.
Crosses with M. lurida as the pollen parent:
aristata. 1 cross, not viable.
atropunctata. 1 cross failed to set seed, 1 set seed and awaiting germination as of 2024.
bellendenii. 2 crosses. 1 not viable, 1 bloomed:
MM 14-53. They look mostly like
M. bellendenii, but they're different enough that I think they're hybrids.
calcicola. 1 cross, awaiting germination as of 2024.
loubseri. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
villosa. 1 cross, not viable.
I have tried many other crosses with M. lurida as the pollen parent, but most failed to produce seeds. I don't know why.
I've also made about 14 crosses between lurida and Moraea hybrids.
Moraea neopavonia
Beautiful orange flowers with black or blue eyes. Botanists have formally merged this species into M. tulbaghensis, which has smaller cup-shaped flowers, because there are so many intermediate forms in the wild that you can't tell where neopavonia ends and tulbaghensis begins. I accept that, but continue to grow and breed the former M. neopavonia separately because its flowers are much bigger, flatter, and more brightly colored than the typical tulbaghensis.
Crosses with M. neopavonia as the seed parent:
aristata. 2 crosses, have not yet bloomed.
atropunctata. 5 crosses, 2 bloomed:
MM 12-70,
MM 14-138. These flowers look a lot like species
neopavonia.
calcicola. 3 crosses, all bloomed:
MM 14-184,
MM 13-22,
MM 15-57. The flowers all look like pale orange versions of
neopavonia.
gigandra. 3 crosses, 2 bloomed:
MM 12-29.
14-100. 12-29 are a couple of strange light orange colors, while 14-100 look a lot like an orange version of
gigandra.
insolens. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
longiaristata form a. 2 crosses, 1 has not yet bloomed, 1 bloomed:
MM 15-105. Looks like a small pale orange version of
M. neopavonia.
longiaristata form b. 2 crosses, 1 not viable, 1 has not yet bloomed.
loubseri. 3 crosses, 1 not viable, 2 have not yet bloomed.
tripetala. 2 crosses, 1 not viable, 1 has not yet bloomed.
tulbaghensis. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
villosa. 15 crosses. 1 awaiting germination, 6 have not yet bloomed, 8 have bloomed:
MM 03-99.
14-176,
14-71,
15-78,
13-38,
15-86,
15-97,
18-316. The flowers are generally pale to mid orange, sometimes with a flush of reddish color on the tepals.
Crosses with M. neopavonia as the pollen parent: aristata. 7 crosses. 3 not viable, 1 died, 2 not yet bloomed, 1 bloomed:
MM 16-63.
atropunctata. 2 crosses, 1 not viable, 1 bloomed:
MM 99-00.
bellendenii. 4 crosses. 1 died, 3 bloomed:
MM 13-207. Orange flower with a yellow eye. Very distinctive.
MM 15-63,
MM 15-15:
neopavonia-like flowers with interesting effects on the eye.
calcicola. 2 crosses, 1 not viable, 1 bloomed:
MM 15-23. The flowers look like a very pale version of
M. neopavonia.
debilis. 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 18-143. Light orange flowers with and angular orange and blue eye.
gigandra. 5 crosses, 2 have not yet bloomed, 3 bloomed:
MM 16-03,
MM 16-40,
MM 12-144. These look like orange versions of
M. gigandra. As usually happens when I cross a purple and orange species, these flowers are light to medium orange, and the eyes vary in size and intensity. There's sometimes a tinge of purple to the tepals that looks reddish at first glance. Interesting note: I crossed two of the MM 16-40 siblings and got flowers that vary from off white to yellow:
MM 19-56.
longiaristata form a. 3 crosses, 1 not viable, 2 bloomed:
MM 12-150,
MM 15-108. Pale orange flowers with no spots.
loubseri. 2 crosses. 1 has not yet bloomed, 1 bloomed:
MM 19-10. Looks like a very pale version of
M. neopavonia.
lurida. 2 crosses. 1 not viable, 1 has not yet bloomed.
thomasiae. 1 cross, not viable.
tricuspidata. 1 bloomed:
MM 18-27. Dainty orange flowers with a few dots where the eye should be.
tripetala. 4 crosses. 1 not viable, 3 bloomed:
MM 12-109,
MM 14-01,
MM 15-112. Pale orange flowers with narrow tepals. In MM 14-01 the eye and cup are speckled like a leopard.
villosa. 7 crosses. 4 not viable, 3 not yet bloomed.
I have also made about 56 crosses between M. neopavonia and Moraea hybrids.
Moraea thomasiae
An interesting pale yellow flower that has flaring tips at the ends of its tepals. There are also dark veins on the tepals. I've tried crossing a number of Moraea species onto M. thomasiae, but none of those crosses produced seeds. I've had more ambiguous results using thomasiae as a pollen parent. Some of those crosses have set seeds, but so far none of the resulting flowers look even a little bit like thomasiae. I'll keep trying, but at this point I'm skeptical that this species can cross with other species.
Crosses with M. thomasiae as the seed parent:
No successful crosses to date.
Crosses with M. thomasiae as the pollen parent:
aristata. Two crosses failed to set seed. One set seed; awaiting germination as of 2024.
calcicola. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
debilis. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
gigandra. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
longiaristata form a. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
neopavonia. 1 cross, not viable.
polystachya. 2 crosses, 1 bloomed:
MM 16-58. These flowers look exactly like
polystachya, so I doubt they are actually hybrids.
tripetala. 1 cross, not viable.
villosa. 2 crosses, have not yet bloomed.
I have also made six crosses between
M. thomasiae and
Moraea hybrids. Only one has bloomed,
MM 15-113, but it looks nothing like
M. thomasiae.
Moraea tricuspidata
This species looks almost identical to M. bellendenii, but has white flowers instead of yellow. It seems to have the same effect on hybrids as bellendenii; you can read the details in that section above.
Crosses with M. tricuspidata as the seed parent:
aristata. 1 bloomed:
MM 18-25. Pale violet to white flowers with a banded yellow and blue eye.
atropunctata. 1 bloomed:
MM 18-05. Cream flowers with a few speckles.
loubseri. 1 bloomed:
MM 18-46. Looks nothing like
loubseri, so I am not sure what to think.
neopavonia. 1 bloomed:
MM 18-27. Dainty orange flowers with a few dots where the eye should be.
villosa. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
Crosses with M. tricuspidata as the pollen parent:
aristata. 1 bloomed:
MM 18-25. Pale violet to white flowers with a banded yellow and blue eye.
atropunctata. 1 bloomed:
MM 18-05. Cream flowers with a few speckles.
loubseri. 1 bloomed:
MM 18-46. Looks nothing like
loubseri, so I am not sure what to think.
neopavonia. 1 bloomed:
MM 18-27. Cute orange flowers with a few dots where the eye should be.
I've also made four crosses between
tricuspidata and
Moraea hybrids. For example:
MM 18-24, violet flowers with banded and mottled eyes.
Moraea tripetala
Dainty little flowers in shades of bluish purple, with white or yellow eyes. Although these flowers are not spotted, many
M. tripetala hybrids have spots or streaks on the flowers, so this is one of my favorites for breeding.
M. tripetala has now been
split into several species by botanists, but unfortunately my collection was developed when they were all lumped together, and it's very hard to separate them now. So I am just treating them as one diverse species for breeding purposes.
Crosses with M. tripetala as the seed parent:
aristata. 3 crosses, 3 bloomed:
MM 12-141,
MM 12-111,
MM 14-90. These crosses all illustrate
tripetala's tendency to create colored streaks on the tepals.
bellendenii. 1 cross bloomed:
MM 13-196. These flowers look like a yellow
M. tripetala, and have produced interesting results in follow-on hybrids, such as
MM 18-161, which has intricately marked eyes.
calcicola. 1 cross bloomed:
MM 13-137. Violet flowers midway between the two parents. They have faint veining and speckles in some individuals, and are parents of some very nice hybrids, such as
MM 18-135 and
MM 18-136, both of which have very prominent veining and color blazes on the tepals.
gigandra. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
insolens. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
loubseri. 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 12-121. Vigorous dark violet flowers that look like a larger version of
tripetala.
longiaristata form a. 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 15-18. Shaped like
tripetala, but with extensive dots on the tepals. These flowers are very cute, but unfortunately they appear to be completely sterile.
neopavonia. 4 crosses. 1 not viable, 3 bloomed:
MM 12-109,
MM 14-01,
MM 15-112. Pale orange flowers with narrow tepals. In MM 14-01 the eye and cup are speckled like a leopard.
thomasiae. 1 cross, not viable.
tulbaghensis. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
villosa. 6 crosses, 3 not yet bloomed, 3 bloomed:
MM 13-171,
MM 13-133,
MM 14-82. Richly colored flowers, many with streaks and speckles.
Crosses with M. tripetala as the pollen parent: aristata. 1 cross, not viable.
atropunctata. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
bellendenii. 1 cross, seed not viable.
gigandra. 1 cross, not viable.
loubseri. 1 cross, not viable.
lurida. 2 crosses. Both viable, 1 cross bloomed:
MM 12-194.
neopavonia. 2 crosses, 1 not viable, 1 has not yet bloomed.
tulbaghensis. 2 crosses, 1 not viable, 1 bloomed:
MM 17-43. Pale orange flower with glowing green eyes.
villosa. 9 crosses. 3 not viable, 4 not yet bloomed, 2 bloomed:
MM 15-13,
MM 14-186. Intriguing that are shaped a lot like
tripetala, but with wider tepals, and prominent veins and streaks.
I've also made about 24 crosses between this species and hybrids.
Moraea tulbaghensis
Previously the name M. tulbaghensis referred to a group of plants with small orange cup-shaped flowers that have green, grey, or occasionally chartreuse eyes. This species has now been merged with M. neopavonia, but I keep the little cup-shaped ones separate because they have a different chromosome number and have produced different results in hybrids.
Crosses with M. tulbaghensis as the seed parent:
atropunctata. 2 crosses, 1 not viable, 1 not yet bloomed.
longiaristata form a. 1 cross, not viable.
loubseri. 2 crosses, not viable.
tripetala. 2 crosses, 1 not viable, 1 bloomed:
MM 17-43. Pale orange flower with glowing green eyes.
villosa. 9 crosses. 2 not viable, 2 not yet bloomed, 5 bloomed:
MM 11-72.
MM 13-94,
MM 13-69,
MM 14-77,
MM 12-79. These flowers are small, orange, and cup-shaped, but 13-94 and 13-69 are suffused with purple and reddish colors, and have been very helpful in the development of red-colored hybrids.
Crosses with M. tulbaghensis as the pollen parent:
aristata. 4 crosses, all viable. 1 has bloomed:
MM 10-37. Pale orange with a dark eye.
atropunctata. 2 crosses, 1 not viable, 1 has not yet bloomed.
bellendenii. 2 failed crosses, 1 set seed and awaiting germination as of 2024.
calcicola. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
debilis. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
gigandra. 3 crosses, all viable, 1 bloomed:
MM 10-04. The flowers look a lot like species
tulbaghensis.
lurida. 2 crosses. 1 not viable, 1 has not yet bloomed.
neopavonia. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
tripetala. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
villosa. 21 crosses. 2 not viable, 10 not yet bloomed, 9 bloomed:
MM 11-20,
MM 11-140,
MM 10-02,
MM 12-66,
MM 12-122,
MM 13-25,
MM 14-21,
MM 14-153,
MM 14-180. As you can see, I've had a lot of success crossing these species. I wonder if that might be because both
M. villosa and
tulbaghensis are tetraploid. They hybrids that have bloomed are often pale to bright orange (although there are exceptions), and tend to have cupped flowers. A few of the hybrids have extensive speckling or other markings on them. The best example of that is MM 10-02.
I have also made about 26 crosses between this species and Moraea hybrids.
Moraea unguiculata
This is an extremely variable species, usually cream colored with speckles, but also appearing in other colors such as yellow and purple. I've grown three forms, two cream and one purple. You can see them
here. Because I have only a few corms of this species, I've made few crosses with them so far.
Crosses with M. unguiculata as the seed parent:
villosa. 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 18-104. Flowers look mostly like
villosa, but the inner tepals show some of the variability of
unguiculata.
Crosses with M. unguiculata as the pollen parent:
loubseri. 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 18-44. Looks like a cream-colored form of
M. loubseri.
I have also made one cross between this species and a Moraea hybrid.
Moraea villosa
The queen of the genus. Lovely flowers in shades of purple, magenta, and blue, with contrasting eyes and central cups, variable tepal sizes, and often different rings of color around the eyes. The color and shape combinations are almost infinite. In hybrids, M. villosa is fairly dominant, often producing flowers that look much like villosa. Second-generation plants have more variability.
One curiosity about
villosa hybrids:
M. villosa is a tetraploid (meaning it has four sets of chromosomes), while most of the species I cross it with are diploid (two sets of chromosomes). Crosses between those plants should theoretically be sterile triploids (three sets of chromosomes). But I've found that very many of these hybrids are fertile (I don't know why, but it's not unheard-of in plants). A few examples of these fertile offspring:
MM 19-46,
MM 18-232,
MM 18-185.
Crosses with M. villosa as the seed parent:
aristata. 7 crosses. 1 not viable, 5 not yet bloomed, 1 bloomed:
MM 11-31. Looks like
villosa.
atropunctata. 5 crosses. 1 not viable, 4 bloomed:
MM 14-187,
MM 12-27,
MM 14-145,
MM 14-122. These hybrids look much like
M. villosa, but with dark markings in the center of the cup. MM 14-122 has intense green eyes.
bellendenii. 3 crosses, 1 not viable, 1 has not yet bloomed, 1 bloomed:
MM 12-118. Remarkable flowers with concentric crescents of color in the eye.
calcicola. 5 crosses. 2 not viable, 2 not yet bloomed, 1 bloomed:
MM 13-36. Looks exactly like
villosa.
gigandra. 5 crosses. 2 not viable, 2 not yet bloomed, 2 bloomed:
MM 11-24,
MM 11-89. They look very much like
M. villosa.
homeria sp. 3 crosses, not yet bloomed
insolens. 2 crosses, have not yet bloomed.
longiaristata form a. 2 crosses, 1 not viable, 1 bloomed:
MM 15-115. Charming little speckled flowers with two-tone eyes. Unfortunately, despite a lot of attempts they haven't ever produced seed.
longiaristata form b. 1 cross, not yet bloomed.
loubseri. 6 crosses. 2 not viable, 2 not yet bloomed, 2 bloomed:
MM 14-206,
MM 13-78. These hybrids look very much like
M. villosa.
lurida. 1 cross, not viable.
neopavonia. 7 crosses. 4 not viable, 3 not yet bloomed.
thomasiae. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
tripetala. 9 crosses. 3 not viable, 4 not yet bloomed, 2 bloomed:
MM 15-13,
MM 14-186. Intriguing that are shaped a lot like
tripetala, but with wider tepals, and prominent veins and streaks.
tulbaghensis. 21 crosses. 2 not viable, 10 not yet bloomed, 9 bloomed:
MM 11-20,
MM 11-140,
MM 10-02,
MM 12-66,
MM 12-122,
MM 13-25,
MM 14-21,
MM 14-153,
MM 14-180. As you can see, I've had a lot of success crossing these species. I wonder if that might be because both
M. villosa and
tulbaghensis are tetraploid. They hybrids that have bloomed are often pale to bright orange (although there are exceptions), and tend to have cupped flowers. A few of the hybrids have extensive speckling or other markings on them. The best example of that is MM 10-02.
Crosses with M. villosa as the pollen parent:
atropunctata. 2 crosses. 1 not viable, 1 has not yet bloomed.
calcicola. 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 16-59. Looks very much like pure
M. villosa.
debilis. 2 crosses, 1 bloomed:
MM 18-79. Looks like a miniature
M. villosa.
gigandra. 10 crosses, 8 viable. 4 bloomed:
MM 11-17,
MM 12-120,
MM 12-83,
MM 18-257. The flowers look a lot like
villosa, but the shape of the eye is often a bit triangular and there are often dark markings in the central cup.
longiaristata form a. 2 crosses, 1 bloomed:
MM 15-20. Looks like
M. villosa.
longiaristata form b. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
loubseri. 4 crosses. 2 not viable, 2 have not yet bloomed.
neopavonia. 15 crosses. 1 awaiting germination, 6 have not yet bloomed, 8 have bloomed:
MM 03-99.
14-176,
14-71,
15-78,
13-38,
15-86,
15-97,
18-316. The flowers are generally pale to mid orange, sometimes with a flush of reddish color on the tepals.
tricuspidata. 1 cross, has not yet bloomed.
tripetala. 6 crosses, 3 not yet bloomed, 3 bloomed:
MM 13-171,
MM 13-133,
MM 14-82. Richly colored flowers, many with streaks and speckles.
tulbaghensis. 9 crosses. 2 not viable, 2 not yet bloomed, 5 bloomed:
MM 11-72.
MM 13-94,
MM 13-69,
MM 14-77,
MM 12-79. These flowers are small, orange, and cup-shaped, but 13-94 and 13-69 are suffused with purple and reddish colors, and have been very helpful in the development of red-colored hybrids.
unguiculata. 1 cross, bloomed:
MM 18-104. Flowers look mostly like
villosa, but the inner tepals show some of the variability of
unguiculata.
I've also made about 280 crosses between M. villosa and Moraea hybrids. Why so many crosses? Because there are so many color combinations to try.
