Erica sessiliflora prepared to wait

Bulging like the head of a knobkierie, this fleshy sepal storage facility of Erica sessiliflora, covering the ovaries at the stem tip is still for a while also covered in dry corolla remains.

The stem will grow green and leafy above the knob, while the slow process of seed maturation plus the waiting period for fire to trigger their release, carries on for long.

The sharply pointed tips of the stem-tip leaves curve inwards on this plant (Baker and Oliver, 1967).