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| Category: Perennial |
| Family: Iridaceae (Irises) |
| Origin: South Africa (Africa) |
| Flower Color: Yellow |
| Bloomtime: Spring/Summer |
| Synonyms: [Dietes huttonii] |
| Height: 3-4 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Medium Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 0-10° F |
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Moraea huttonii (Large Golden Vlei Moraea) - An evergreen perennial that grows to 3 feet tall from corms to form a dense clump with 3 foot long by inch wide strap-like leaves that are erect below and bend over near the tips. In mid spring the fragrant iris-like 2 to 3 inch wide rich yellow flowers with brown and maroon markings are borne in succession along multiple sturdy upright inflorescences. Plant in full sun in a well drained soil and irrigate regularly. Hardy and evergreen to around 23° F and returns from its corms if frozen down - is hardy enough to be grown in USDA Zone 7a or 6 with mulch. An attractive vertical element plant for the irrigated perennial bed or meadow with beautiful flowers that have a delightful fragrance. This plant occurs naturally from the summer rainfall Amatola Mountains in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa north along the Drakensberg Mountains in KwaZulu-Natal and into southern Mpumalanga. The species was first published as Dietes huttonii by the British botanist John Gilbert Baker in Curtis's Botanical Magazine in 1875 but reclassified as Moraea huttonii by the South African botanist Anna Amelia Obermeyer, who specialized in petaloid monocots. This new name was published in Flowering Plants of Africa Volume 42 in 1970. The genus name is a tribute to the English botanist and politician Robert More and the specific epithet honors a Mr. Hutton, who sent the first specimen from the eastern province of the Cape Colony to John Baker at the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew that Baker used to describe the species. Our thanks go out to the meadow master and grassman John Greenlee for first providing us the seed of this wonderful plant.
The information about Moraea huttonii displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |
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