New species of Moraea (Iridaceae-Iridoideae) from southern Africa

Moraea melanops, M. deltoidea, M vespertina, and M. vigilans are new specie s of the southern African genus Moraea (ca. 195 species), of subfamily Irid oideae of the Iridaceae. Moraea vespertina belongs to subgenus Visciramosa, now comprising six species. It has the characteristic branched stems, visc ous secretion on the nodes and internodes, and free, connivent anthers of t he subgenus, but is distinctive in its white flowers that open for a few ho urs in the late afternoon, and basal fan of four to six, firm-textured leav es. Moraea deltoidea, from the Klein River Mountains in Western Cape Provin ce, and M. vigilans, from the northern high Drakensberg of Free State and K waZulu-Natal, belong in subgenus Vieusseuxia and are allied to the M unguic ulata complex of the subgenus. Moraea deltoidea has vestigial style branche s and inner tepals that are more or less entire to obscurely three-lobed. M oraea melanops is the eighth species of section Galaxia series Eurystigma, one of two series of the exclusively western southern African section of 16 species distributed from the Bredasdorp District of Western Cape Province to northern Namaqualand in Northern Cape Province. Vegetatively resembling other Western Cape species, including M barnardiella and M. versicolor, M. melanops can be distinguished by its purple to lilac perianth with a dark p urple-black center, and stamens partly to entirely free; like M. barnardiel la it has laxly spreading tepals that do not form a floral cup.