Lycium ferocissimum flower quite old

Like people who rarely exceed 100 years in age, a Lycium ferocissimum flower may also resist disintegration for longer than usual while it becomes strongly discoloured, as this Nieuwoudtville one did at the end of winter.

Its preserved stamens hold narrowly ridged anthers aloft like prizes in a boastful parade, outside a corolla missing some lobes. The calyx resisted going as brown as the corolla, achieving an interesting colour embellished by tiny hair dots.

The short, bare side-branch in picture appears rigid and gnarled. Its wrinkled, white bark is exposed from the loss of leaves, flowers or fruits that may have grown upon it. The little branch now serves as a thorn and looks like a thorn, grown nearly at a right angle to the stem (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010; Le Roux, et al, 2005; iNaturalist).