Moraea villosa subsp. villosa

Moraea villosa subsp. villosa, commonly known as the peacock moraea and in Afrikaans as the uiltjie (little owl), is a cormous perennial reaching heights from 15 cm to 40 cm. The plant grows one leaf annually that is usually longer than the flower stem.

The showy flowers may be purple, lilac or pink. They are large, about 6 cm in diameter. Iridescent blotches of blue or green on the large outer tepals as well as their yellow nectar guides enhance the vividness of the flowers. Pollination is done by monkey beetles, one of which was caught in the act on this flower photographed in the Elandsberg Private Nature Reserve.

The species distribution is restricted to a small, southwesterly part of the Western Cape between Gordon's Bay, Ceres and Piketberg.

The habitat is fynbos slopes and renosterveld. Much of this terrain has been transformed by human activities and the habitat population is deemed vulnerable early in the twenty first century as a consequence.

This plant may be grown from seed or corms. One way may be in pots under conditions that resemble those of their habitat. The plant material is, however, not easily obtained from nurseries and the remaining plants in the wild should be left undisturbed at all costs (Bean and Johns, 2005; www.plantzafrica.com; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).