Gossypium herbaceum subsp. africanum bashful bloom

The partly furled Gossypium herbaceum subsp. africanum flower petals are pale yellow and delicate to unsubstantial. They remind one to check the word gossamer again: downy, cobwebby, goose summer stuff.

If this corolla were white or thought to be so, a wedding dress concept for a modern day princes bride could be derived from this, capable of wowing the millions that can never aspire to flower status themselves.

Note how the small calyx holds the base of the petals, while the ragged-tipped epicalyx bulges above it, clear of the flower base.

The ubiquitous dark spots typically occurring on parts of this plant are visible, as is the recurring ant loitering in the hope of a meal (Pooley, 1998; Onderstall, 1996; Letty, 1962; iSpot; Mannheimer and Curtis, (Eds.), 2009; Leistner, (Ed.), 2000).