Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum flowers

    Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum flowers
    Author: Ivan Lätti
    Photographer: Thabo Maphisa

    The white flowers of Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum grow stalkless and solitary or in small groups from leaf axils and stem-tips. The five leaf-like sepals are not quite equal, enclosing the stalkless buds by cohering to their tips in erect positions.

    The flowers are small, spreading their narrow, linear petals with rounded tips to less than 1 cm in diameter. There are numerous pale yellow staminodes (filaments lacking anthers) around the stamens, in a loose, erect, central cluster.

    Flowering happens in late spring. The photo was taken in October.

    The seeds are shorter than 1 mm and rough to granular (Le Roux, et al, 2005; iNaturalist; Wikipedia; http://flora.sa.gov.au).

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