Orbea conjuncta flower

The flowers of Orbea conjuncta grow solitary or in pairs on reddish brown or brown-green peduncles from the lower stem parts, facing outwards. The sepals become 5 mm long.

The cream to beige corolla is a wide, shallow cup with five pointed lobes. The base of the cup is flat, its side-walls abruptly curved up and sometimes slightly inwards, the triangular lobes curving out. Flower diameter is about 5 cm.

In the base of this corolla cup is a fleshy crimson ring, the annulus, around the flower centre. Inside this ring the purple and yellow outer and inner coronas are positioned centrally, each with variously shaped tiny lobes.

The flower has a mildly fetid smell that attracts various sorts of flies, important to the plant as its pollinators.

The fruit appears later in the form of a paired, spindle-shaped capsule, known as a follicle. A mass of small seeds is produced inside the follicle, each attached to long white hairs. The ripe follicle dehisces, releasing its precious contents upon the wind for dispersal (www.llifle.com).