Moraea miniata flower

The yellow star of nectar guides on the tepals of Moraea miniata is here covered in scattered dark spots. There are also dark markings at the outer ends of the nectar guides. These marks, the six-pointed yellow star and also the tepal colouring show considerable variability across the rather large distribution.

The inner tepals are smaller, still bearing the same yellow and black markings as found on the outer ones. Some Moraea species have nectar guides only on the outer three tepals. The veins on the tepals seen here are faint, but covering the surfaces in lines fanning outwards from the noticeable tepal midribs.

As there is no protective cup around the stamens, their fused, erect column protrudes well above the corolla. There is a granular appearance to the yellow anther surfaces (Manning, 2007).