Moraea saxicola flower from below

Seen from below, the clawed tepal bases of Moraea saxicola angle up in a funnel-shaped, open cup before they spread into the main, wider tepal parts.

Thin, brown vein-lines are longitudinal, mainly in the central parts of these outer surfaces of the bigger, outer tepals. The yellow nectar guides on these tepals are also visible on the outside.

Two tight-fitting, leaf-like spathes, dry by the time the flowers open, clutch the flower base around the ovary (Goldblatt and Manning, 2014: Taxonomy of the Moraea saxicola complex (Iridaceae: Iridoideae) of arid, western southern Africa, with the new species, M. acocksii, M. geminifolia, M. quartzicola and M. teretifolia. South African Journal of Botany, Volume 91, March 2014, Pages 75-83; Grenier, 2019; Williamson, 2010; iNaturalist).