Moraea, Homeria subgroup, wiki pictures

Mary Sue Ittner msittner@mcn.org
Tue, 15 Apr 2003 20:12:30 PDT
Dear All,

I have posted pictures of some of the recent flowers in my garden of the 
Homeria subgroup of Moraea that I talked about yesterday. We have discussed 
the weediness of these in the past and I reported that they weren't weedy 
in my central Valley home, but if not watched they reseed a bit in my 
Northern California coastal garden and increase by offsets as well. Still, 
I have yet to see one that has strayed beyond my property (1/2 acre). Some 
species can be toxic to cattle, but there are no stock in my neighborhood.

They require no care, bloom for a couple of months for me and as soon as 
the rains stop their leaves dry relatively quickly and separate easily from 
the corm and they have disappeared until the next rainy season. My brother 
was able to grow them for a number of years in his Houston, Texas garden, 
but eventually his garden got too shady and they disappeared. My mother 
loved hers in Midland, Texas, but sometimes there were late frosts that 
killed them and eventually they did not come back. So I doubt they are good 
for cold gardens. They really do better planted in the ground. My brother 
said they reminded him of a candelabra as they would branch as they 
continued to bloom. I have given up trying to key these out and they 
probably are hybrids, but if anyone who looks at all the different 
variations thinks they could be one of the species, please let me know.

http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/…

I have had less luck getting that gorgeous Moraea elegans to bloom (picture 
from last year) and Moraea comptonii was short lived too.

Mary Sue


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