Moraea MM 21-291

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

Pollen parent: MM 16-85a (aristata x gigandra) X (villosa x tulbaghensis)

The pollen parent is one of my largest hybrids. By breeding it with a flower that has unusual color patterns, I was hoping to get big flowers with unusual colors. But instead I got normal sized flowers with bland colors (although the dark green eyes are a bit interesting). 

So it goes!

Moraea MM 21-286

Seed parent: MM 12-118c (M. villosa X bellendenii)

Pollen parent: MM 18-344b (villosa X ((aristata x villosa) x neopavonia 'Sunrise')

MM 18-286a. The colors aren'y spectacular, but I like the unusual rings of color in the eye.

Moraea MM 21-283

Seed parent: MM 18-66 (M. bellendenii x aristata) X villosa

Pollen parent: MM 10-16d (neopavonia x atropunctata) X gigandra

MM 21-283a

Siblings...

Moraea MM 21-280

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

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

The pollen parent is one of my favorite hybrids, with speckles and a bright blue eye. I crossed it with a yellow flower, hoping for offspring with spotted yellow flowers and big blue eyes. Instead, the yellow parent totally dominated.

MM 21-280a

Here's a sibling with wider eyes.

Moraea MM 21-273

Seed parent: MM 13-137c (M. tripetala X calcicola)

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

This cross combined a brick red flower with a pale purple flower that sometimes induces veins and spots in its offspring. I'm not sure if the result is what I expected, but it's an interesting flower with its blotchy dashes around the eye.

Moraea MM 21-271

Seed parent: Moraea villosa F

Pollen parent: MM 13-41a 'Bonnie' (villosa B X villosa H)

This is basically a villosa species cross, but involving several colors of flower. I was hoping for a flower with the white tepals of the seed parent combined with the beautiful blue eye of the pollen parent. As often happens, I got the exact opposite. Oh well.

MM 21-171a. I admire the nice uniform leopard spots in the central cup, but they make me wonder because neither parent has a spotted cup. Among the species I breed with, only M. neopavonia and M. tulbaghensis generally have this sort of dot pattern. So I wonder if maybe the rain washed this seed over from a nearby location.