Moraea, the Cape tulips,[2] is a genus of plants in the family Iridaceae, first described as a genus in 1758. The group is widespread across Africa, the Mediterranean, and central and southwestern Asia.[3] The genus name is a tribute to the English botanist Robert More.[4]

Description

Moraeas have iris-like flowers.[5] The corms of some species have been used as food, however they are usually small and some species have an unpleasant taste, and some are poisonous.[6][7]

Taxonomy

The following species are recognised in the genus Moraea:[8]

Selected species
Moraea bellendenii
Moraea collina
Moraea flaccida
Moraea gawleri
Moraea macronyx
Moraea neglecta
Moraea ramosissima
Moraea tricuspidata
Moraea tricolor in habitat
Moraea virgata

References

  1. ^ "World Checklist of Selected Plant Families".
  2. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Moraea". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  3. ^ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  4. ^ Manning, John; Goldblatt, Peter (2008). The Iris Family: Natural History & Classification. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press. pp. 91–93. ISBN 978-0-88192-897-6.
  5. ^ Dyer, R. Allen (1975). The Genera of Southern African Flowering Plants. ISBN 0-621-02854-1.
  6. ^ Hallowes, Desmond; Fox, Francis William; Young, Marion Memma Norwood (1982). Food from the veld: edible wild plants of southern Africa botanically identified and described. New York: Delta Books. ISBN 0-908387-20-2.
  7. ^ Watt, John Mitchell; Breyer-Brandwijk, Maria Gerdina (1962). The Medicinal and Poisonous Plants of Southern and Eastern Africa (2nd ed.). Edinburgh: E & S Livingstone. OCLC 1279138.
  8. ^ "Moraea Mill. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2023-09-27.

External links