Operation Wildflower
  • Home
  • Albums
  • Links
    • Botanical Gardens
    • OWF Sites
    • Public Parks, Gardens and Reserves
    • Reference Sites
    • Private Parks, Gardens and Reserves
  • Information
    • About Us
    • Articles
    • Contact Us
    • Disclaimer
    • Glossary
    • Plant Records
      • Aloes
      • Bulbs
      • Climbers
      • Cycads
      • Euphorbias
      • Ferns
      • Grasses
      • Herbs
      • Orchids
      • Parasites
      • Shrubs
      • Succulents
      • Trees
    • Sources of Information
    • Subject Index
Home Home » GENERA I-L » Leucospermum » Leucospermum grandiflorum spreading styles
Back to Category Overview
Total images in all categories: 12,244
Total number of hits on all images: 7,575,457

Leucospermum grandiflorum spreading styles

Leucospermum grandiflorum spreading styles
Start View full size
[Please activate JavaScript in order to see the slideshow]
Previous Previous
Image 39 of 99  
Next Next
Image 41 of 99  
  • Leucospermum cuneiforme
  • Leucospermum gracile
  • Leucospermum gracile flowerhead
  • Leucospermum grandiflorum
  • Leucospermum grandiflorum bud beginnings
  • Leucospermum grandiflorum bud narrow and young
  • Leucospermum grandiflorum bud nearing anthesis
  • Leucospermum grandiflorum erect styles
  • Leucospermum grandiflorum spreading styles
  • Leucospermum grandiflorum stem-leaves
  • Leucospermum grandiflorum stem-tip leaves
  • Leucospermum heterophyllum
  • Leucospermum heterophyllum leaves
  • Leucospermum hybrid
  • Leucospermum hypophyllocarpodendron subsp. hypophyllocarpodendron
  • Leucospermum hypophyllocarpodendron subsp. hypophyllocarpodendron leaves
  • Leucospermum muirii

Image information

Description

There is a later stage in the Leucospermum grandiflorum flowerhead development when the initially erect styles spread somewhat into a wider, flat-topped shape of the head.

The curved, red pollen presenters are aligned in direction, accentuating the spiral effect present. The spiralling of the styles and their pollen-presenter tips in this species is usually clockwise but clearly not all styles in picture have been informed about this convention. One of the plant’s common names, grey-leaf fountain pincushion, is descriptive of the spiralling feature.

The styles are still yellow here, on average slightly over 7 cm long. Some younger heads in the photo background show the more erect, closer-knit grouping of the styles. Later in the flowerhead development, the styles may again be close together, when the flowerhead, i.e. essentially the styles, turns orange and finally red before withering.

The specific name, grandiflorum, is derived from the Latin word grandis meaning large and floris meaning flower, referring to the size of the flowerhead of the plant.

Flowering happens from midwinter to early summer. The photo was taken in November.

The ripe seeds are released about two months after flowering. The seeds are attached to fleshy elaiosomes sought after by ants as food. The ants carry the seeds to their nests, serving the plant in seed dispersal, a mutually beneficial arrangement for plant and insect. This deal is similar to the plant’s cooperative pollinator feeding "agreement" with Cape sugarbirds, possibly also with other birds and some insects.

Business thrives in nature. One can learn where to look by focussing on need fulfilment and problem solving of any living species. They all have needs, to be fulfilled by someone else in their particular ecological systems.

Identifying customer needs is a crucial part of entrepreneurial capability, also a key feature of understanding interspecies trade (Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; Eliovson, 1983; iNaturalist; Wikipedia; http://pza.sanbi.org).

Hits
155
Photographer
Thabo Maphisa
Author
Ivan Latti
 
Back to Category Overview
Powered by JoomGallery