Moraea GK 1202

Seed parent: M. gigandra

Pollen parent: M. aristata

GK 1202_6

Moraea insolens

First bloom. What a splendid flower! Here in San Jose, California, it took about eight years to get one of these corms to grow from seed to flowering plant. I had just the one flower in 2022. I saved the pollen very carefully and have tried it on several other Moraea flowers. Several of those crosses appear to have worked, and I am looking forward to doing more crosses with this plant in the future.  

One of the distinctive things about this species is that the six tepals are almost all the same size. Usually the Peacock-type Moraeas have much smaller inner tepals.

The flower looks red in the photos, but in person it's more of a dark intense orange (the third photo comes closest).

Moraea GK 1926

Seed parent: GK 1699 MX_19 (Moraea unknown)

Pollen parent: M. villosa form o

GK 1926a. The color pattern on the inner tepals is very nice. I like the little triangles toward the ends of the tepals.

Oops, I labeled this one 1926a as well.

GK 1926b

Some siblings...

Moraea GK 1914

Seed parent: GK1699 MX_21 (Moraea unknown)

Pollen parent: GK 1699 MX_19 (Moraea unknown)

GK 1914a

The color pattern of the central cup -- bright yellow-orange minutely speckled -- is very nice-looking, and I like the extensive ring around the eyes.

Moraea GK 1912

Seed parent: GK 1699_20 (Moraea unknown)

Pollen parent: GK 1699_17 (Moraea unknown)

A heavily spotted flower crossed with one that has bright blue eyes. We mostly lost the intense blue of the eyes, but there are spots on two of the flowers.

GK 1912a

GK 1912b. I like the faint stippling and streaks on this one.

Here's a sibling with very wide tepals:

Moraea GK 1911

Seed parent: GK 1699 MX_17 (Moraea unknown)

Pollen parent: GK 1699 MX_12 (Moraea unknown)

GK 1911a. This is a cross between a heavily spotted flower and a purple one with strong banding around the eye. I have no idea how that combination produced a flower with two colors of veins and streaks on it, but I am fascinated and happy about it. I have never seen coloring like this on a Moraea. 

GK 1911b

Moraea GK 1908

Seed parent: GK 1699 MX_18

Pollen parent: GK 1699 MX_17

A cross between an orangey hybrid and a heavily spotted one. Their first offspring was interesting but not all that impressive:

GK 1908a

Moraea GK 1903

Seed parent: GK 1312 MX_7 (Moraea unknown)

Pollen parent: GK 1699 MX_12 (Moraea unknown)

The shading in these flowers is interesting, almost as if they had been drawn with pastels.

GK 1903a

GK 1903b

GK 1903c

GK 1903d

Moraea GK 1501a

Seed parent: Moraea unknown

Pollen parent: Moraea unknown

GK 1501a. This is a seedling I grew from a cross by Garry Knipe. A handsome flower!

Sparaxis MM 19-115

Seed parent: Sparaxis grandiflora v. grandiflora

Pollen parent: Sparaxis elegans

MM 19-115a. The fluorescent color in this one is really nice.

Moraea MM 19-160

Seed parent: Moraea longiaristata

Pollen parent: MM 15-80b ((M. atropuctata x calcicola) X neopavonia 'Summerfield')

MM 19-160a. I like that little pointy bit coming out of the eye.

MM 19-160b

Moraea MM 19-155

Seed parent: Moraea neopavonia with thin blue eye

Pollen parent: MM 13-81c ((aristata x villosa) X atropunctata)

Moraea MM 19-142

Seed parent: MM 15-45 (M. villosa 'Zoe' X neopavonia 'Summerfield')

Pollen parent: MM 14-126a (M, aristata x (aristata x calcicola) X neopavonia 'Summerfield')

MM 19-142a

I think this is probably the same plant, faded a bit by the sun.

Moraea MM 19-138

Seed parent: MM 13-81 ((aristata x villosa) X atropunctata)

Pollen parent: MM 13-77b (villosa X tulbaghensis)

MM 19-138a

This is the same plant; the flower fades over time.

This was labeled 19-138, but I think I made a mistake. It looks nothing like either parent. It is, though, a very interesting flower due to those vivid long hairs in the center. Hopefully it'll bloom again this spring, so I can figure out its parentage.

Moraea MM 19-132

Seed parent: MM 15-136a (parents unknown)

Pollen parent: MM 15-106c (((atropunctata x calcicola) x gigandra) X (villosa x tulbaghensis))

MM 19-132a. Wonderful! Very rich magenta color, deep blue eye, and fantastic edging around the eye. I was very happy about this one.

This flower had faded a little in the sun.

MM 19-132b

MM 19-132c

I marked this one 19-132b as well, but it's clearly a different plant.

Moraea MM 19-124

Seed parent: MM 17-26f ((M. lurida x villosa form h) X (lurida x (aristata x villosa))

Pollen parent: MM 13-89d ((villosa x tulbaghensis) X villosa form d)

MM 19-124a. The eyes are small and boring, but the flower color is really nice. I like the subtle contrast between the orange of the central cup and the pink of the tepals.

Moraea MM 19-111

Seed parent: MM 13-89a ((M. villosa x tulbaghensis) X villosa form d)

Pollen parent: MM 13-77b (villosa X tulbaghensis)

I crossed a pinkish flower and a reddish flower, and so of course I got an orange one. I do like the reddish blaze around the eyes, though.

MM 19-111a

Moraea MM 19-110

Seed parent: Moraea loubseri

Pollen parent: Moraea atropunctata

How interesting. The pale spots on the backs of the tepals and the orange in the central cup show the atropunctata genetics, but I see very little of M. loubseri in this one.

Pretty much the same deal with this one. Note that the brown speckles on the backs of the tepals from M. atropunctata have turned purple.