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Tuesday, October 21, 2025

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 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.





Sunday, October 5, 2025

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.


Saturday, October 4, 2025

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)







Friday, October 3, 2025

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.


Thursday, October 2, 2025

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.



Wednesday, October 1, 2025

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.