Moraea Species Ten

The genus Moraea can be divided into five groups: Galaxia, Gynandriris, Hexaglottis, Homeria, and Moraea.
Moraea group species U-Z are found on this wiki page.


The other species in the Moraea group are listed alphabetically on these wiki pages: Moraea group A - Moraea group B - Moraea group C-E - Moraea group F - Moraea group G-I - Moraea group J-M - Moraea group N-R - Moraea group S - Moraea group T


Moraea index lists all the species in all five groups alphabetically.


Moraea unguiculata is found on shale slopes in the winter rainfall area. Its range extends into the Eastern Cape where it occurs in drier open thicket environments and Karoo hills. The flower on this one is smaller than many of the others pictured on this page. Photos below by Bob Rutemoeller and Bob Werra.
Moraea unguiculata, Bob Rutemoeller Moraea unguiculata, Bob Werra
More photos from Cameron McMaster.
Moraea unguiculata, Cameron McMaster Moraea unguiculata, Cameron McMaster Moraea unguiculata, Napier, Cameron McMaster Moraea unguiculata, Swellendam, Cameron McMaster


Moraea vegeta is a short species from the southwestern Cape where it is found on damp clay or granite slopes and flats. It can be grown in the ground in Northern California and in the second photo it is shown growing in our driveway. It has buff to dull purple-brown short lived flowers. The first three photos by Mary Sue Ittner, Bob Rutemoeller, and Alan Horstmann. The last photo was taken by Arnold Trachtenberg. It was growing at Wave Hill and labeled Moraea gawleri but really Moraea vegeta which can be shown by the leaves in the background and the reason for the name.
Moraea vegeta, Mary Sue Ittner Moraea vegeta, Bob Rutemoeller Moraea vegeta, Alan HorstmannMoraea vegeta. Wave Hill, Arnold Trachtenberg

Flowering on Lions Head in the southwestern Cape, September 2006. Photos by Mary Sue Ittner and Bob Rutemoeller.
Moraea vegeta, Lion’s Head, Mary Sue Ittner Moraea vegeta, Lion’s Head, Bob Rutemoeller


Moraea vespertina This species has fairly large white flowers that open around 6.00pm and close around 8.00pm, and they have a pure scent of lemons. A new species published in 2000, Moraea vespertina was found in seasonally waterlogged areas near Nieuwoudtville in heavy red doleritic clay. Plants are 70-100 cm tall. Photos by Dirk Wallace
Moraea vespertina, Dirk Wallace Moraea vespertina, Dirk Wallace Moraea vespertina, Dirk Wallace


Moraea vigilans , a relatively new species, published in 2000, is found on steep moist slopes in basalt outcrops in the high Drakensberg. The sweetly scented flowers are white, with bluish bands or spots towards the base of the outer tepal limbs and are speckled with mauve. Flowering is in January and February with flowers lasting abut two days. Photos taken by Cameron McMaster at Sentinel Peak in the Drakensberg Mountains of KwaZulu-Natal.
Moraea vigilans, Sentinel Peak, Cameron McMaster Moraea vigilans, Sentinel Peak, Cameron McMaster


Moraea villosa is found on stony granite and clay slopes and flats in the winter rainfall area of western South Africa. It can be purple, lilac, sometimes pink or orange or even cream or white with yellow nectar guides on the outer tepals outlined in broad bands of dark color. Flowering in Northern California and grown from seed. Notice all the different variations. Photos by Bob Rutemoeller
Moraea villosa, Bob Rutemoeller Moraea villosa, Bob Rutemoeller Moraea villosa, Bob Rutemoeller Moraea villosa, Bob Rutemoeller
Photos by Mary Sue Ittner of more variations.
Moraea villosa, Mary Sue Ittner Moraea villosa, Mary Sue Ittner Moraea villosa, Mary Sue Ittner Moraea villosa, Mary Sue Ittner

Mary Wise has photographed the first one below from her Australian garden, another with striking colors and Jana Ulmer the second one. The third photo taken by Bob Rutemoeller shows one growing in Gordon Summerfield's collection that is a darker purple. The fourth photo was taken by Alan Horstmann and the fifth by Bob Werra. The last photo was contributed by the UC Botanical Garden.
Moraea villosa, Mary Wise Moraea villosa, Jana Ulmer Moraea villosa, Bob Rutemoeller Moraea villosa, Alan Horstmann Moraea villosa, Bob Werra Moraea villosa, UC Botanical Garden

This first one pictured below almost looks like M. aristata, which when it first bloomed I thought it was. I love the appearance and color of the second one. It looked different than all my other M. villosa. Photos taken March 2004 by Lee Poulsen.
Moraea villosa, Lee Poulsen Moraea villosa, Lee Poulsen

Moraea villosa ssp. elandsmontana grows in a very limited area of the Western Cape. It has stems that are usually unbranched and flowers that are bright orange with nectar guides edged with navy blue. Although it may resemble Moraea tulbaghensis in color, it differs by having large style branches with prominent crests and short anthers that reach only to the base of the stigma lobes. This plant was seen in Kirstenbosch growing in the ground August 2006 and was photographed by Mary Sue Ittner and Bob Rutemoeller. A bright yellow form of this subspecies was discovered in 2009.
Moraea villosa ssp elandsmontana, Kirstenbosch, Mary Sue Ittner Moraea villosa ssp elandsmontana, Kirstenbosch, Bob Rutemoeller


Moraea viscaria is found on the coastal areas of the southwestern cape between Saldanha Bay and Cape Agulhas. It grows on sandy or stony flats and slopes. It has white, fragrant small flowers. It blooms spring to summer and has fugacious flowers that open late afternoon and fade by early evening. Photo by Cameron McMaster.
Moraea viscaria, Cameron McMaster


Moraea worcesterensis is found on rocky slopes and flats on low hills near Worcester. It has a single leaf and purple flowers with pale diamond-shaped markings on the tepals and blooms in spring. Photo by Alan Horstmann.
Moraea worcesterensis, Alan Horstmann


Moraea 'Zoe' was grown and photographed by Bill Dijk in New Zealand. He has named this plant Moraea villosa 'Zoe', but it has some characteristics that are closer to Moraea aristata so could be a hybrid between the two species and perhaps should just be known by the cultivar name. A third photograph was taken by Mary Sue Ittner who got her corms from Bill.
Moraea 'Zoe', Bill Dijk Moraea 'Zoe', Bill Dijk Moraea ‘Zoe’, Mary Sue Ittner


Moraea group A - Moraea group B - Moraea group C-E - Moraea group F - Moraea group G-I - Moraea group J-M - Moraea group N-R - Moraea group S - Moraea group T - Moraea index


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Page last modified on March 04, 2010, at 01:32 PM