Moraea MM 18-234

Seed parent: MM 13-139a (M. bellendenii X (gigandra x (atropunctata x neopavonia)))

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

Another cross in diligent pursuit of red. The seed parent is an orange flower that was the result of crossing a yellow flower with a violet one. So it has a complex genetic background. The pollen parent is one of my hybrids that comes closest to red. Put them together and you get flowers that are pretty close to red. In person they're a little more mauvey/brick colored than the photos, so this is not the vibrant red I am looking for. But I feel like it's progress.

MM 18-234a. I made 20 follow-on crosses with this flower. Keep your fingers crossed, and check back in three or four years...

MM 18-234b. I like the yellow central cup in this flower.

MM 18-234c

MM 18-234d

MM 18-234e

Moraea MM 18-229

Seed parent: MM 13-84c (M. loubseri X ((atropunctata x neopavonia) x (atropunctata x calcicola))

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

This is one of my crosses in pursuit of a red flower. The seed parent is purpley-orange and the pollen parent is orange with a reddish blush. Their offspring is dark but definitely kinda reddish mauve.

MM 18-229a

This one has many more spots. I need to get a better picture of it.

Moraea MM 18-228

Seed parent: MM 13-84c (M. loubseri X ((atropunctata x neopavonia) x (atropunctata x calcicola)))

Pollen parent: MM 11-16d (villosa b X (aristata x calcicola))

This complicated cross produced a very interesting range of colors in its offspring.

MM 18-228a

These don't have letters attached to them yet. I like the mauvey coloring of this one.

Moraea MM 18-222

Seed parent: MM 12-144a (M. gigandra X neopavonia)

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

The seed parent is an orangey-red flower that looks like M. gigandra, while the pollen parent is a villosa-like flower with yellow-orange tepals and a vivid blue-green eye. In other words, two really good-looking parents.

MM 18-222a. I like the speckles on the tepals.

MM 18-222b. Wow, the eye on this one is awesome, pale blue with a dark blue rim. And this flower is so different from form a. I need to see if I have any more seeds left from this cross.

MM 18-222d

Moraea MM 18-217

Seed parent: MM 14-126a (M. aristata x (aristata x calcicola)) X neopavonia 'Summerfield'

Pollen parent: Moraea villosa o

The seed parent is a soft orange hybrid diluted with some white and purple genes. Often when I cross that sort of hybrid with a violet flower I'll get mixed colors, but in this case the color scheme of villosa o dominated.

Moraea MM 18-209

Seed parent: MM 12-158b (M. bellendenii X ((atropunctata x neopavonia) x (atropunctata x neopavonia))

Pollen parent: Moraea villosa o

This is a cross between a vivid yellow hybrid and a magenta-colored form of M. villosa. Yellow + magenta should be red, right? That's how it worked in print shop when I was a kid. But in flowers... as often happens with M. villosa crosses, the hybrid looks mostly like the villosa, but the colors have been muted, and the M. bellendenii genes have disrupted the eye.

MM 18-209a

MM 18-209b. I like the big white spot in the eye.

MM 18-209c

Siblings. Check out the pink corkscrew tips on the inner tepals of this one.

Wow, this one has incredibly long tips on the inner tepals, and they're twisted. Interesting!

Moraea MM 18-162

Seed parent: MM 13-206 (M. lurida X (villosa x tulbaghensis)

Pollen parent: Moraea aristata

The darker yellow shade and freckles on the inner tepals are kind of interesting, but overall this flower is not as colorful as I'd hoped.