Mimetes cucullatus stems, singular and erect

This large rooistompie shrub, flowering in December, was seen in the Kogelberg not far from the N2 highway between Houw Hoek and Botrivier. Almost all the erect stems in the photo are flower-tipped.

Where there is no flowering, the stem tip is sprouting a cluster of young new stems, each with red leaf tips that also resemble flowers. The ascending leaves of M. cucullatus tend to crowd at stem tips, dropping off later to expose bare, gnarled grey stems where leaves, bracts and fruits had dropped off in the past (Manning, 2007; www.plantzafrica.com).