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.

Moraea MM 21-141

Seed parent: MM 18-10a ((M. atropunctata x neopavonia) x (atropunctata x calcicola)) X ((villosa x tulbaghensis) x villosa)

Pollen parent: MM 18-09a (bellendenii) X (aristata x (neopavonia x atropunctata)) x ((neopavonia x atropunctata) x (aristata x (neopavonia x atropunctata)))

Okay, so I crossed a rosy pink flower with a pale yellow one, hoping the colors would somehow combine to make a nice red. I guess you could say this flower is a little bit reddish, but not really. The very narrow tepals are kind of interesting.

Moraea MM 21-131

Seed parent: MM 17-110a (M. 'Zoe' x atropunctata) X ('Zoe' offspring x ((atropunctata? x neopavonia) x (neopavonia x villosa)))

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

MM 21-131a. Interesting. This is the offspring of two vivid and heavily marked flowers, so naturally it's a very plain flower, but with a beautiful teal-green eye. Go figure.

Also note how wide the tepals are, very nicely overlapping so the flower looks like a flat dish.

Moraea MM 21-117

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

Pollen parent: MM 13-94c (tulbaghensis X villosa)

I crossed a bright yellow flower with a reddish-orange one, and ended up with a cream-colored one --  which I think demonstrates that the genetics of yellow Moraea flowers are complicated.

Moraea MM 21-113

Seed parent: MM 12-13d (M. loubseri x atropunctata)

Pollen parent: MM 17-10a (tripetala x calcicola) X ('Zoe' x atropunctata)

MM 21-113a

MM 21-113b

A sibling...

Moraea MM 21-101

Seed parent: MM 15-106c ((M. atropunctata x calcicola) x gigandra)

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

This cross has two very attractive parents, but the offspring, alas, aren't all that impressive.

Moraea MM 21-97

Seed parent: MM 18-57 ((M. tripetala x bellendenii) X (villosa x tulbaghensis) x villosa d

Pollen parent: Unknown (open pollinated)

MM 21-97a. Nice markings. This looks a lot like the seed parent. Probably it's self-pollinated.

Moraea MM 21-87

Seed parent: MM 18-162 (M. lurida x (villosa x tulbaghensis)) X aristata

Pollen parent: MM 18-161 (M. tripetala x bellendenii) X villosa

MM 21-87a. How interesting! This pretty little flower has no eye at all, but an attractive speckling of delicate purple freckles.I have no idea how the genetics produced this outcome, but I'd like to figure out how to breed more flowers like this one.

Moraea MM 21-22

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

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

MM 21-22a. Nice patterning around the eye, but the parents were much more colorful. 

Moraea MM 20-329

Seed parent: MM 17-110a (M. 'Zoe' x atropunctata) X (M. 'Zoe' offspring x ((atropunctata? x neopavonia) x (neopavonia x villosa)))

Pollen parent: MM 17-63b (atropunctata x (atropunctata x calcicola)) X (atropunctata x (atropunctata x calcicola)) 

This is one of the weirdest Moraea hybrids I've ever raised. The spots have a metallic sheen on them, and look almost impressed into the surface of the flower, like craters.

Check out the warty lumps on the inner tepals.

Moraea MM 20-319

Seed parent: Moraea calcicola

Pollen parent: MM 13-38a (M. neopavonia X villosa)

Hmmmm, this is not what I would expect from a cross between an orange flower and a pale purple one.

Moraea MM 20-310

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

Pollen parent: MM 17-07a (gigandra x loubseri) X ((aristata x calcicola) x tulbaghensis)

These flowers look a lot like hybrids with M. villosa form o, but that's not in the ancestry of this cross. I suspect these plants were mislabeled.