Aizoon species split and joined styles

This Aizoon-like mesemb, not quite A. paniculatum, has two stages of stamen development showing in the young flower on the right. Five stamens are developed, angled away from the centre, their short, thick anthers yellow and coarse with pollen grains.

Inside and lower than them another batch of stamens occurs. They are short, their yellow anthers still cohering closely around the ovary. On other flowers in picture the older anthers appear smaller, browner or even missing where tapering filament tips are bare.

The oldest flowers in picture have the deep pink-purple styles of their different carpels separated in the flower centre. The style tips (or stigmas) veer away from each other, as if optimising the chances of being brushed against by passing pollinators, for by spreading they create more spatial options facilitating such touching.

The styles are thicker than the filaments around them, appearing rough-surfaced. Probably covered in papillae, they contrast against the smoothness of the filaments.

The leaves in picture are ovate to obovate, concave on top with pointed or rounded tip. The blades are covered in a mixture of hairs and glistening water cells.

There are narrower, more club-shaped bracts protruding immediately below the flowers, green and densely covered in water cells with few or no hairs visible.

A new bud at the top has a closed perianth as well as bracts, all glistening with water cells and a few stubbly hairs (Leistner, (Ed.), 2000; iNaturalist).