Moraea tripetala flower

Moraea tripetala, in Afrikaans the blou-uintjie (little blue veld bulb), has bright blue, pale blue, violet or rarely white flowers. The outer tepals are reflexed downwards. They are elliptic in shape with pointed or rounded tips and white or yellow nectar guides that are sometimes covered in dark spots. The inner three tepals are tiny and so small that the specific name refers to only three.

The three stamens are separate almost to the base, each pressed to the narrow lower part of an outer tepal and concealed under a style branch. The three style branches end in paired, petal-like tips that fork and point up.

Flowers of the species are not scented like some of the other members of the genus. Pollination is mainly done by bees.

The blooming season is from late winter to early spring. This flower was photographed near Greyton in September (Manning, 2007; www.plantzafrica.com).