The green tree pincushion flowerheads developing here will be watched with great interest by the Cape sugarbirds. They are avid consumers of the plentiful nectar that will soon await them inside the receptacles below the pincushion tops of the compound flowerheads. In the process of reaching down with their long, thin, curved beaks they will take pollen on board, stuck to the fine feathers on their faces and necks. Upon visiting further flowerheads during the course of their itinerant meals, this pollen will be deposited, exactly what the plant needs for fertilisation to facilitate seed formation (www.plantzafrica.com).