Moraea

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

Moraea >

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Read about Moraea in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Moraea (from a personal name). Iridaceae. Morea. Charming bulb plants much like irises, but they are not so hardy as the common irises and the individual flowers last only a day or so; of interest to amateurs. Mostly having corms except in subgenus Dietes which has a short rhizome: perianth-tube obsolete; outer segms. obovate-cuneate, with a reflexing limb; inner similar, smaller; stamens with anthers like those of Iris, but filaments more or less connate; ovary, style, caps., and seed as in Iris: lvs. few, linear or ensiform: fls. 2 or more, clustered, various in color, usually fugitive. — About 60 species, 45 of which are S. African, while the others are chiefly from Trop. Afr., one species being found in Austral. Moraea is the African representative of Iris. No one character will separate the two genera. Moreas have no perianth-tube, while irises usually have one. The filaments are usually monadelphous in Moraea and free in Iris. Irises grow either from rhizomes or bulbs, while moreas mostly grow from corms, except the subgenus Dietes, which grows from a rhizome. Most of the showiest moreas belong to the subgenus known as Moraea proper. There is another subgenus which differs from it in haying the ovary extended into a long beak which looks like a perianth-tube, but none of this group is cult. The moreas proper are about as tender as other Cape bulbs. The amateur may find some suggestions as to their cult. under Bulbs, Iris and Ixia. By far the largest and most remarkable plant of the genus is Moraea Robinsoniana. This grows 6 to 8 feet high and has the habit of the New Zealand flax, Phormium tenax. A splendid specimen mentioned in B.M. 7212 bore 457 flowers between June 20 and October 1. The individual flowers are 4 inches across, fragrant and last only a day. At Kew this noble plant has been successfully grown in the south end of a house. The stately plant pictured in G.F. 10:255 grew in a Californian garden and was said to be sixteen years old from seed. The finest picture, however, is that in G.F. 4:355. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

• w:Moraea. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
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