Moraea alticola Goldblatt

Species

Angiosperms > Asparagales > Iridaceae > Moraea

Characteristics

Plants up to 1 m high, forming clumps, evergreen. Corm 15-20 mm diam.; tunics of coarse, brown fibres. Stem sheathed by brown cataphylls, uppermost forming a pale, well-developed fibrous network, simple or with 1 or 2 short branches or sessile rhipidia at upper nodes, enclosed by 3 to 5 overlapping sheathing leaves 140-180 mm long, green with dry, light brown tips. Foliage leaf exceeding stem, flat or shallowly channelled, 14-25 mm wide, erect below, trailing distally, margin often thickened and hyaline. Rhipidial spathes green, usually with dry, brown apices, inner 120-150 mm long, outer ± equal or slightly shorter. Flower long-lived, pale, watery yellow, outer tepal limbs with small darker yellow nectar guides at bases, reflexed to ± 40º; outer tepals 50-80 x 25-40 mm, claws 20-30 mm long, ± erect, inner tepals 50-70 mm long, ± erect. Filaments ± 20 mm long, united in lower half, anthers ± 15 mm long, pale yellow; pollen white. Ovary cylindric, 20-30 mm long; style branches 18-20 mm long, crests ± 15 mm long. Capsules ± cylindric-3-lobed, 30-45 mm long.
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Perennial herb, geophyte, 0.3-0.9 m high, in large clumps; corm tunics of coarse fibres; stem erect, usually simple. Leaf 1, basal, broad and flat, becoming canaliculate above. Spathes herbaceous, apex becoming brownish dry. Inflorescence with yellow flowers; nectar guides dark yellow; tepals ± lanceolate, outer up to 88 mm long, inner up to 70 mm long, erect. Stamens: filaments up to 20 mm long, united in lower half; anthers ± 15 mm long. Ovary 20-30 mm long; style branches up to 20 mm long; crests ± 15 mm long. Flowering time Nov.-Feb. Capsule cylindric.
Robust, cormous geophyte, up to 1 m high, base encircled with pale, fibrous network of cataphylls. Leaf solitary; blade 15-30 mm wide, flat, margins thickened. Flowers: ±90 mm wide; perianth pale yellow with darker nectar guides on outer segments; Nov.-Jan.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 1.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture 7-8
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) -

Usage

Uses -
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) 30 - 90
Germination temperacture (C°) 12 - 15
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Distribution

Moraea alticola world distribution map, present in Lesotho and South Africa

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:440038-1
WFO ID wfo-0000785025
COL ID 44C22
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Moraea alticola