Mimetes cucullatus emphasising red

The red inflorescence leaves or bracts under which small flower clusters of Mimetes cucullatus reside here, give an indication why the plant is commonly known as rooistompie (little red stump). This picture was taken in midsummer on a parched plateau east of Houw Hoek in the Kogelberg. The pinkish red colour on the upper parts of these bracts at the stem tips may be accentuated at this time of year.

The white woolly perianth segments dangle limply, haphazardly below the styles. They had housed and later released the red styles, now standing erectly in clusters just below the red leafy bracts. The pollen presenters at the style tips are yellow.

The tiny oval protrusions at the tips of the inflorescence leaves resemble human heads and shoulders. These head-like structures morph into the plant’s three-toothed leaf tips lower down, below the flowering level (Manning, 2007; www.plantzafrica.com).