Leucospermum grandiflorum bud nearing anthesis

Nearly opening, this Leucospermum grandiflorum flowerhead has widened into an oval shape, appearing to generate expectancy and readiness for the imminent blooming moment of every floret.

The lower style parts of at least the outer perianths in the head have broken the outer seams between perianth segments, their protruding limb parts bulging conspicuously. These styles use the force of their elongation beyond the limited retaining capacity of the perianth segments to achieve these breaks. The smooth, wiry curves are thus exposed, while the style tips, the pollen presenters at the style ends remain in captivity for the moment. Full bloom constitutes their release.

The single-haired, red protrusions present from early on at the perianth bud tips have by now developed into small, white hairy tufts over the tiny but broadened red parts (Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; Eliovson, 1983; iNaturalist; Wikipedia; http://pza.sanbi.org).