Coming into bloom now are the lovely Moraeas with their dainty flowers like little irises all in a rainbow of colors. Most Moraeas come from southern Africa, There are almost 200 species, and I wish I had all of them, but space is limited, and some are not easy to grow. There is some confusion with this genus, since in the horticultural trade plants are often sold as 'Moraea' that are actually Dietes. Dietes also come from southern Africa, but are much larger plants and are rhizomatous. while true Moraeas grow from corms. The flowers of Dietes may look similar, but the plants are evergreen, and make excellent landscape plants in mild climates, while the wispy, dainty Moraeas are better in a pot. Above you can see the lovely Moraea loubseri, and endangered species, with violet blue flowers that have a black furry center.
Moraea atropunctata is a short species with large flowers that are dotted with black and marked with salmon. The outer petals are also salmon, making the buds very beautiful.
To the right is the lovely pale blue Moraea calcicola.
Moraea tricolor is a very small species with brilliant flowers. Here it is to the left.
Moraea villosa must be everyone's favorite. It is beautiful, fairly easy to grow, and comes in a range of colors. I have chosen only a few of the colors to show you here below. There are so many more beautiful Moraeas, and pictures of some can be seen on the web site: www.telosrarebulbs.com. Again, I apologise for the formatting. I arrange things carefully, but when I publish it comes out totally different. Very frustrating.
www.telosrarebulbs.com 
