Peacock Moraea Hybrids

Several years ago, PBS member Michael Mace started experimenting with creating Moraea hybrids. This page, and the ones linked to it, record his results.

The records of bulb hybridizers are often lost after their deaths, forcing other breeders to start over or guess at the parentage of the hybrids available. As part of its mission to encourage horticulture with bulbs, PBS agreed to host Michael's information so everyone can learn from it. We strongly encourage other bulb breeders to share their records. You can add your own Moraea hybrids to this page (it's not just for Michael), or create new pages of your own for hybrids of Moraea or any other genus. For more information, contact the PBS Wiki administrators here.

This table shows representative pictures of my Moraea hybrids. Hover over a photo to see which plants were crossed into it. Click on a photo to go to a page with more details on that cross, and additional photos. If you have created your own Moraea hybrids, you're welcome to add yours to this list.

Peacock Moraea Hybrids
BW 11-01	MM 03-04a	MM 03-05a	MM 03-05b	MM 03-07a
MM 03-07b	MM 03-98a	MM 03-99a	MM 03-99c	MM 09-01
MM 09-02a	MM 09-02d	MM 09-04a	MM 10-02a	MM 10-02b
MM 10-03a	MM 10-03b	MM 10-03d	MM 10-13a	MM 10-16b
MM 10-23a	MM 10-25a	MM 10-38a	MM 11-61a	MM 11-69a
MM 11-101a	MM 11-128a	MM 11-135a	MM 11-161b	MM 99-00a
MM 99-00c

(If you're wondering about the codes under each photo, they consist of: initials of the breeder, year of cross, number of cross within that year, and a letter indicating the individual plant from the cross. So "MM 03-98b" means a plant bred by Michael Mace in 2003, the 98th seed pod harvested that year, and the second plant (b) to bloom from that cross.)

Background. I've been an enthusiast for the genus Moraea for many years. It was a photo of a Moraea flower that got me started in bulb growing. The colors of the flower were so vivid and so unusual that I had to try growing it for myself.

Through seed suppliers and the generosity of other growers, I eventually managed to obtain most of the Moraea species that were publicly available and easily grown in my summer-dry climate (San Jose, CA). I'm still looking for the species I don't have (you can see my want list here). But for the most part my collecting activity turned into maintaining what I had rather than growing new things that I hadn't seen before.

I think it's very important to grow and share species bulbs, especially since so many of them are close to extinction. So I am taking care of my species. But I missed the enjoyment of growing something unknown; the surprise of walking outside one day to find a new flower that I'd never seen before.

So I started experimenting with hybridizing my Moraea species, starting with the "Peacock Moraeas," the largest and most colorful Moraea flowers. I am not a professional breeder; more like an enthusiastic part-time amateur. I'd welcome and advice from anyone. And I'm glad to share my plants. As I get surplus seeds and corms, I'll share them through the Pacific Bulb Society's bulb exchange. That's another reason to join the society.

For more information on my breeding program, including info on which species can interbreed, click here.

Comments
If you have questions or comments, you're welcome to share them here.

Galaxia - Gynandriris - Hexaglottis - Homeria A-J - Homeria K-Z - 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 group U-V - Moraea index