Barbary-nut
Moraea sisyrinchium
The flowers are incredibly punctual, opening only during the warm afternoon hours and closing tightly by dusk.
- Scientific name
- Moraea sisyrinchium
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Liliopsida › Asparagales › Iridaceae › Moraea
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Dry grasslands, garrigue, rocky hillsides, pastures, and sandy coastal areas.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (produces energy via photosynthesis using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide).
- Range
- Southern Europe, North Africa, Middle East, Southwestern Asia
- Size
- 10 to 40 cm in height
- Lifespan
- Perennial (corm regenerates annually for many years)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Urbanization, coastal tourism development, and intensive agricultural land conversion.
- Safe to approach?
- This plant is harmless to touch but toxic if ingested. Observe its fleeting blooms from a safe distance. Do not dig up the corms. If consumed by pets or humans, seek medical or veterinary attention immediately.
Moraea sisyrinchium (syn. Gynandriris sisyrinchium ), the Barbary Nut , is a species of flowering plant, a dwarf iris, in the genus Moraea , native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean region.
Photo: zebedeugalinha, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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