Moraea carsonii Baker

Selected images: Click on each image to see a larger version and details of the record View all images (4)

Photo: Bart Wursten
Mt Rukotso, Nyanga

Detailed records: Display species records QDS maps by: Google Maps Point records by Google Maps

Species details: Click on each item to see an explanation of that item (Note: opens a new window)

Synonyms:	Moraea homblei De Wild.
Common names:
Frequency:	Local
Status:	Native
Description:	Perennial herb growing from corms with 2-3 long, trailing foliage leaves present at the time of flowering. Flowers solitary at the ends of a "rhipidium", blue-violet with white to yellow nectar guides.
Notes:	This species resembles Moraea natalensis but can be distinguished by the multiple, trailing foliage leaves and the nectar guides, which lack the deep violet edgings. In Zimbabwe the distribution of the 2 species do not seem to overlap.
Derivation of specific name:	carsonii: named after Alexander Carson (1850-1896), British engineer and avid plant collector in Zambia.
Habitat:	Rocky areas of montane grassland, occasionally in seasonally wet areas.
Altitude range: (metres)	2000 - 2360 m
Flowering time:	Dec - Mar
Worldwide distribution:	NE Namibia, southern DRC, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe distribution:	E
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Goldblatt, P. (1993). Iridaceae Flora Zambesiaca 12(4) Page 14. (Includes a picture). Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 92. Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 125. Shone, D.K. & Drummond, R.B. (1965). Poisonous Plants of Rhodesia Ministry of Agriculture, Rhodesia Page 25.

Other sources of information about Moraea carsonii:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Moraea carsonii
Flora of Burundi: Moraea carsonii
Flora of Malawi: Moraea carsonii
Flora of Zambia: Moraea carsonii

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Moraea carsonii
African Plant Database: Moraea carsonii
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Moraea carsonii
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Moraea carsonii
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Moraea carsonii
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Moraea carsonii
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Moraea carsonii
JSTOR Plant Science: Moraea carsonii
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Moraea carsonii
Plants of the World Online: Moraea carsonii
Tropicos: Moraea carsonii
Wikipedia: Moraea carsonii