Moraea melanops

This is a marvelous little species. The plant is only a few inches tall, but the flower is large and held upright, like a pink-purple radar dish. It's a delight to come across them in the wild, and in cultivation they are as elegant and captivating as the finest alpine plant -- but tons easier to grow in California.

The plants appear to be self-fertile, so I am hopeful that I'll be able to raise a patch of them, which would be marvelous.

Unfortunately, they do not appear to cross with the Peacock Moraeas, as they are in a different subgenus.