Moraea collina

Moraea collina, commonly known in Afrikaans as the aasuintjie (carrion nutgrass) and previously scientifically as Homeria collina, is a cormous, deciduous perennial reaching heights from 20 cm to 50 cm.

The plant grows only one trailing, long, thin leaf. The stem of the lightly fragrant flowers bends above the point where it emerges from the leaf sheath.

The flower comprises six similar tepals forming the perianth. They are usually yellow, occasionally salmon, often with a clear yellow star-shape at the base of the perianth.

The stamens are included near the top of a deep cup, formed by the tepal bases before their lobes spread widely. The filaments are joined in a column that is hairy at its base, the yellow anthers up to 6 mm long.

Flowering happens from before midwinter to early spring, usually after fire.

The species distribution is in the far southwest of the Western Cape from Bainskloof to the Cape Peninsula and eastwards to Caledon.

The habitat is lower fynbos slopes and sandy or clayey flats. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Manning, 2007; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).