Leucospermum reflexum var. reflexum lady in red

A Leucospermum reflexum var. reflexum flowerhead may become twisted during its developmental sequence, like a red dress of thin ribbons only, blowing in the wind as she goes.

Right at the bottom, the tips of the reflexed styles, the awl-shaped to cylindrical pollen presenters are pale, white in a few cases and changing colour to brown in the next part. (Maybe the ankles?) The longest visible style part is red to the point where it disappears among the garment-like perianth segments, now worn in a more calculated style.

The tips of the perianths that earlier delivered the pollen, are spent at this late stage, strongly curled up and hairy. Their base parts, higher up on the styles, are pale red and still tubular, contributing to the illusion of purposeful mobility.

At the top of the head in picture a patch of short bracts is visible; passable as purplish headgear. These bracts are small, pointed and whitish with hair fringes, covering the centre where florets did not develop (Manning, 2009; Coates Palgrave, 2002; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; http://pza.sanbi.org).