Moraea lewisiae (Goldblatt) Goldblatt

Plants variable in size, (120-)200-700 mm high. Corm 15-20 mm diam.; tunics (pale) dark brown, fibrous. Stem bearing 1 to 3 secondary branches near base (rarely simple), often flexuose, with sessile lateral rhipidia, usually overlapping one above, sheathing leaves concealing at least lower part of rhipidia, usually 25-30 mm long. Foliage leaves 1 to 3(4), ± basal (or inserted shortly above ground), linear, channelled, ascending but trailing distally, normally much exceeding stem, sometimes shorter, margins often inrolled, straight, rarely undulate. Rhipidial spathes usually dry above, 30-45 mm long, attenuate, outer slightly shorter than inner. Flowers fugaceous, stellate, pale to deep yellow, often feathered brownish outside, inner and outer tepal limbs with deeper yellow nectar guides at bases, usually edged with small dark green to black spots, with strong sweet scent; outer tepals 19-24 x 7-10 mm (subsp. lewisiae), 24-30 x 9-13 mm (subsp. secunda), claws 1.5-2.0 mm long, clasping filament column, limbs spreading, outer ovate, inner ± wedge-shaped, ± as long to 2 mm shorter but narrower than outer. Filaments 4-6 mm long, united in lower 1.0-1.5 mm; anthers 5-7 mm long, shorter after releasing pollen, yellow; pollen yellow. Ovary cylindric-ellipsoid, (5.5-)6.5-12.0 mm long, usually partly to entirely exserted, rarely included; style branches divided almost to base into paired filiform arms 6-7 mm long, extended horizontally. Capsules narrowly triangular-cylindric, 11-16(-20) mm long (subsp. lewisiae) or ovoid-ellipsoid, 8-13(-15) mm long (subsp. secunda), often shortly beaked, splitting in upper 1/3 to half. Seeds angular, sometimes narrowly, tapering at both ends, 1.2-2.0 x 0.7-1.0 mm, winged in northern populations.