The strap-shaped leaves of Moraea alticola are longer than the flower stalks but usually not higher, as they curve and allow their tips to droop. The smooth green blades are about 25 mm wide, the midribs pale and the margins incurved.
The cataphylls or small, scale leaves around the plant base are pale and fibrous (Pooley, 1998; iNaturalist; https://wildflowernursery.co.za).