Othonna retrofracta flowerheads

The flowerhead of Othonna retrofracta consists of an involucre comprising one row of smooth, oblong bracts around numerous, tubular disc florets, but no ray florets. The bracts are joined at the base and cohere vertically, a flowerhead about 1 cm in diameter.

In picture the outermost, female florets are mainly obscured apart from their brown, paired, curving style branches. The inner, male florets already open spread their five star-like, pointed corolla lobes. Only yellow anthers protrude above the florets here.

Further to the inside the disc is still covered in spherical bud tips, promising more pollen later (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iNaturalist; http://pza.sanbi.org).