Moraea MM 21-270

Seed parent: MM 18-34b (M. tripetala x bellendenii) X ((villosa x tulbaghensis) x villosa d)

Pollen parent: MM 18-34a (M. tripetala x bellendenii) X ((villosa x tulbaghensis) x villosa d)

MM 21-270a. I like this one. It's not spectacular, but I like the color contrasts and the precision of the markings. The parents both have that little window of color in the eye (something caused by M. bellendenii), but it is more prominent in their child.

Moraea MM 21-267

Seed parent: MM 17-10a (M. tripetala x calcicola) X ('Zoe' offspring x calcicola)

Pollen parent: MM 18-91b (bellendenii x aristata) X ((atropunctata x calcicola) x (villosa x tulbaghensis))

MM 21-267a. I am very happy about this cross, for a couple of reasons. First, it is a very cool looking flower. I like the intensely dense purple spots changing from large in the center to smaller further out on the tepal. I also like the contrasting orange color of the small inner tepals, and the yellow blaze in the center. It's all very interesting.

Second, I am pleased by the way the genetics worked. The seed parent is a purpley spotted flower, and the pollen parent is an orangey spotted flower. This is exactly the sort of flower I was hoping for from their offspring. So once in a while genetics seems to work predictably.

Moraea MM 21-261

Seed parent: MM 18-56a (M. tripetala x bellendenii) X ((villosa x tulbaghensis) x villosa d)

Pollen parent: MM 15-60a (villosa x tulbaghensis) X (villosa x tulbaghensis)

MM 21-261a. Two speckled flowers were crossed, and they produced a very nicely speckled offspring. I wish the colors were more vibrant, but still this is a nice flower.

Moraea MM 21-246

Seed parent: MM 17-10a (M. tripetala x calcicola) X ('Zoe' offspring x atropunctata)

Pollen parent: MM 15-60a (villosa x tulbaghensis) x (villosa x tulbaghensis)

Hmmmm, this is a cross between two spotted hybrids, which I would expect to produce a spotted flower. Also, the flower looks a lot like a hybrid with M. neopavonia, which is not in the ancestry of this cross. So I wonder if maybe it's a stray seed.

Moraea MM 21-239

Seed parent: MM 18-91a (M. bellendenii x aristata) X ((atropunctata x calcicola) x (villosa x tulbaghensis))

Pollen parent: MM 18-333a ((villosa x tulbaghensis) x villosa form d) X (tulbaghensis x villosa form h)

These flowers look a lot like MM 21-236, and I suspect they are actually stray seedlings from that cross.

Moraea MM 21-236

Seed parent: MM 18-64a (M. bellendenii x aristata) X atropunctata

Pollen parent: MM 18-21d ((aristata x villosa) x bellendenii) X ((villosa x (atropunctata x neopavonia))

Very interesting color pattern in the eyes.

Moraea MM 21-231

Seed parent: MM 18-88 (probably M. bellendenii)

Pollen parent: M. longiaristata form b

This is one of only a few successful crosses I've had with this form of M. longiaristata. The flowers in this case look like a pale orange form of longiaristata.

MM 21-231a

MM 21-231ab

Moraea MM 21-228

Seed parent: MM 17-10a (M. tripetala x calcicola) X 'Zoe' offspring x atropunctata)

Pollen parent: MM 18-234a (bellendenii x (gigandra x (atropunctata x neopavonia))) X ((villosa x tulbaghensis) x (villosa x tulbaghensis))

I crossed a spotted flower with a reddish one, hoping for a spotted red flower. It hasn't happened yet, but the flowers are still interesting.

MM 21-228a

Here's a sibling.

Moraea MM 21-227

Seed parent: MM 18-67 (M. bellendenii x aristata) X (villosa f x (((atropunctata x neopavonia) x villosa c) x (atropunctata x neopavonia))

Pollen parent: MM 18-334b ((villosa x tulbaghensis) x villosa d) X ((villosa x tulbaghensis) x villosa d)

Moraea MM 21-224

Seed parent: MM 18-37 (M. bellendenii x aristata) X ((villosa x tulbaghensis) x villosa)

Pollen parent: Unknown (open pollinated)

Judging from their looks, these are probably self-pollinated.

MM 21-224a

MM 21-224b

Moraea MM 21-203

Seed parent: MM 18-62 (M. bellendenii x aristata) X ((aristata x villosa) x neopavonia 'sunrise')

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

A cross between a mauve-red flower and a yellow flower, hoping for brighter red. Nope.

Moraea MM 21-195

Seed parent: MM 17-10a (M. tripetala x calcicola) X ('Zoe' offspring x atropunctata)

Pollen parent: MM 18-91b (M. bellendenii x aristata) X ((atropunctata x calcicola) x (villosa x tulbaghensis))

I crossed two heavily spotted flowers and got more spots. Nice!

MM 21-195a. Note the closely spaced spots at the outer edge of the tepals. They almost create a picotee effect.

Moraea MM 21-194

Seed parent: MM 18-97 (M. lurida x villosa form h) X ((villosa x tulbaghensis) x (villosa x tulbaghensis))

Pollen parent: MM 14-146d (villosa x tulbaghensis) X villosa form d

MM 21-194a

Moraea MM 21-182

Seed parent: Moraea villosa form f

Pollen parent: Moraea GK 1507a (M. villosa selection)

MM 21-182a 

Moraea MM 21-181

Seed parent: MM 18-316a (M. neopavonia 'Summerfield' X villosa form o)

Pollen parent: MM 13-45a (atropunctata x calcicola) X villosa form d

MM 21-181a. Nice flower, but neither parent has spots, so I suspect this might be a chance seed that washed in from a nearby hybrid.

Moraea MM 21-177

Seed parent: MM 18-91a (M. bellendenii x aristata) X (atropunctata x calcicola) X (villosa x tulbaghensis)

Pollen parent: MM 15-89b ((villosa x tulbaghensis) X villosa)

This cross combined two spotted flowers, one pale orange and the other yellow.

MM 21-177a. Very nice. I like the hypnotic dot pattern and orange blaze. I wish the eyes were blue.

Moraea MM 21-170

Seed parent: MM 18-329c  (M. loubseri x ((atropunctata x neopavonia) x (atropunctata x calcicola))) X villosa form o

Pollen parent: MM 18-62a (bellendenii x aristata) X ((aristata x villosa) x neopavonia 'sunrise')

I crossed a deep purple flower with a butter yellow one, wondering what would happen. So far I'm not sure what to make of it.

MM 21-170a. This one looks a lot like the pollen parent.

MM 21-170b. I don't know where the orange came from.

Moraea MM 21-168

Seed parent: MM 15-24 (M. bellendenii X villosa form d)

Pollen parent: MM 15-24 (M. bellendenii X villosa form d)

Theoretically, this cross between siblings ought to express some interesting recessive genes from the two species.

MM 21-168. I guess this counts as interesting.

A sibling, not so intresting.

Moraea MM 21-167

Seed parent: MM 18-88 (probably M. bellendenii)

Pollen parent: MM 18-234a  (M. bellendenii x (gigandra x (atropunctata x neopavonia))) X ((villosa x tulbaghensis) x sibling)

This is a cross between a yellow flower and a brick red one, hoping for a vivid red. But I got orange.

Moraea MM 21-161

Seed parent: MM 18-62 (M. bellendenii x aristata) X ((aristata x villosa) x neopavonia 'sunshine')

Pollen parent: MM 18-21d ((aristata x villosa) x bellendenii) X (villosa x (atropunctata x neopavonia))

MM 21-161a. A weird little flower, mustard yellow with a reddish tinge.

Moraea MM 21-158

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

Pollen parent: MM 15-60a (villosa x tulbaghensis) X (villosa x tulbaghensis)

MM 21-158a. This is a very nice orange hybrid. Not what I was expecting, but welcome nonetheless.

Moraea MM 21-157

Seed parent: MM 18-312a ((M. atropunctata x calcicola) x (villosa x tulbaghensis)) X ((villosa x tulbaghensis) x villosa form d)

Pollen parent: MM 13-89d ((villosa x tulbghensis) x villosa)

MM 21-157a. Looks a lot like the seed parent.

MM 21-157c

Moraea MM 21-155

Seed parent: GK 1501

Pollen parent: MM 09-02a (M. aristata x villosa)

MM 21-155a

MM 21-155b

I overexposed this photo to make sure you could see how intensely the blue eye glows. There's something special about the blue color overlain with iridescent blue hairs.

Moraea MM 21-151

Seed parent: MM 17-54a (M. gigandra x ((atropunctata? x neopavonia) x (atropunctata? x neopavonia)) X ((atropunctata x neopavonia) x villosa c) x (atropunctata x neopavonia)

Pollen parent: MM 18-334a ((villosa x tulbaghensis) x villosa) X ((villosa x tulbaghensis) x villosa)

This cross has very complicated genetics, but it's basically a case of crossing a couple of nice-looking flowers to see what happens. I like the results, although it's sad that none of them have the markings around the eye that the pollen parent has.

MM 21-151a. Nice pinky color.

MM 21-151b

MM 21-151c

Some siblings

MM 21-147

Seed parent: MM 18-91b (M. bellendenii x aristata) X ((atropunctata x calcicola) x (villosa x tulbaghensis))

Pollen parent: GK 1316_3

MM 21-147a

MM 21-147b

MM 21-147c. Pleasant colors, and I like the markings around the eye. I feel this one is worth additional breeding.

Moraea MM 21-142

Seed parent: Moraea lurida form a

Pollen parent: Moraea villosa form g

Interesting! I've made other crosses with M. lurida, but for some reason this one made flowers that are especially variable. That doesn't usually happen when you cross two species. Probably this would tell me something important if I knew more about genetics. 

Anyway, these photos deserve a close look. Some of the flowers have fascinating details and color gradients.

MM 21-142a. Here's an example. I love the precise pinstripe veins in this flower, but also look closely at the colors in the central cup. There are hints of orange, pinky purple, and pale yellow, overlain with crystalline hairs. It's remarkable.

MM 21-142b

MM 21-142c

MM 21-142d. This one isn't as subtle as form a, but it's very impressive.

MM 21-142e

MM 21-142f

Here's a sibling.