Moraea GK 1699 MX

Seed parent: Unknown Moraea

Pollen parent: Unknown Moraea

These plants were raised by Garry Knipe. They were selected from a large group of mixed hybrid seeds, so we don't know their parentage. Garry is an experienced Iris breeder and has a great eye, so I really like the flowers he picked out.

Take note of the incredible variations in the colors of the tepals, eyes, rings around the eye. The combinations are almost endless.

Here are some group photos to start, and then I'll show you specific plants he picked out...

GK 1699 MX_1

GK 1699 MX_3

GK 1699 MX_4

GK 1699 MX_5. There's a story behind this one. I thought it was a fascinating hybrid because it had white eyes, the first time I've ever seen that in a Moraea hybrid. Garry, who raised it, thought it was hideous and nicknamed it "eyes of the dead." I suspect that he made the corm disappear the following summer, so this is probably the only record that it ever existed.

GK 1699 MX_6

GK 1699 MX_7

GK 1699MX_8. Photographed next to a lemon to you can judge the yellow color.

GK 1699 MX_12

GK 1699 MX_13

GK 1699 MX_14

GK 1699 MX_15. Wow, those great blue eyes contrast sharply with the yellow rim around them.

GK 1699 MX_16

GK 1699 MX_17.  Wow, great spots!

GK 1699 MX_18

GK 1699 MX_19. This is a beautiful flower. It looks a lot like MM 15-120 and somewhat like MM 15-80b, but with orange inner tepals and style crests. I presume they're all related.

GK 1699 MX_20

GK 1699 MX_21. Wow: pale blue eye, pinkish tepals, and a reddish ring around the eye. This is an awesome flower.

I think this individual has aged in the sun a bit (plus something chewed on it).

GK 1699 MX_22. Very wide tepals.

GK 1699 MX_23

GK 1699 MX_24

GK 1699 MX_25. Flower freshly opened, nice speckles in the eye ring.

Same plant after the flower has been open for a few days.

GK 1699 MX_26

GK 1699 MX_28 in bud

Fully open flower

GK 1699 MX_30. This is a fantastic raspberry-colored flower with intense blue eyes. It fades to pink in the days after it opens.

In bud...

Here's a newly-opened flower (left) and a faded one.

Variously faded flowers.

A freshly-opened one.

GK 1699 MX_33. The colors are nice, but what really stands out about this plant is its vigor...

Here's a whole cluster of them.

Another view of the cluster.

Another spot where it's spreading.

GK 1699 MX_35. Almost fluorescent eyes.

GK 1699 MX_36

GK 1699 MX_37. I like the yellow in this one!

GK 1699 MX_39

GK 1699 MX_40

GK 1699 MX_41. Wow, the ring around the eye is intense in this one, and kind of two-toned.

GK 1699 MX_42

GK 1699 MX_43

GK 1699 MX_44

GK 1699 MX_45

Garry points out that this one has a significantly larger eye than many of the other hybrids.

GK 1699 MX_46

GK 1699 MX_47

GK 1699 MX_48. Wow, that sea-green eye really caught my attention.

GK 1699 MX_49