Moraea Cookii

Moraea cookii is a striking South African corm with one broad, channelled leaf whose margins often ripple attractively. In spring, branching stems carry clear yellow flowers, each outer tepal marked by a deeper speckled eye that guides visiting insects towards the centre. The species occurs from the Cedarberg eastwards to Lesotho and can appear abundantly after fire in seasonally moist sandstone country. Formerly placed in Homeria, it combines vivid colour with a spare, sculptural habit and is best grown under cool glass with a dry summer rest.