Arctotis semipapposa flowering phases

Different stages of flowerhead development in Arctotis semipapposa can be observed in this photo:

Small in the bottom right, the very early budding is mostly white and woolly with narrow, purple-pointed bracts, angled outwards at different heights and orientations.

A nearly open bud, right of centre, shows brown-lined outer surfaces of ray florets, folded loosely in clock-wise overlapping during the last phase before opening. The green upper surfaces of the involucral bracts with purple tips point outwards below the corolla.

In the lower left corner a despondent flowerhead is hiding its facial condition from sight, rather revealing intimate, white woolliness of the lower surfaces on its narrow bracts. The purple and white lines along its sagging stalk snake over the foliage. The stalk has opposite pairs of narrow leaves, smaller than the basal ones, spaced up its length.

The open, yellow flowerhead shows one row of ray florets overlapping in uneven pattern with irregular tip shapes and tiny ravages inflicted by feeding visitors.

The irregular unevenness of the leaf margins are also clear to see.