Lobostemon trichotomus flowers

The flowers of Lobostemon trichotomus grow in compact stem-tip clusters. The five sepals are unequal and very hairy to velvety, free to near the base.

The funnel-shaped corollas have five rounded lobe tips, their colour blue, mauve or white, sometimes fading to pink. The corolla may be hairy on its outside, the lobes not quite equal in size. The flowers are from 7 mm to 25 mm long, mostly just over 1 cm.

The five stamens have pale pink filaments that do not appear to be of equal length in picture. They become thinner near their tips, the anthers small and dark. There are slightly triangular scales with lateral lobes at the stamen bases. The white style in the midst of the stamens is of similar length and shape, fleshy with a tiny stigma at its tip.

Flowering happens from late winter to spring. The photo was taken in September (Manning, 2007; Manning and Goldblatt, 1997; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iNaturalist; JSTOR; http://www.worldfloraonline.org).