Manulea tomentosa flowering

The five-lobed, orange-brown or yellow flowers of Manulea tomentosa grow in a densely flowered cylinder of cymes. Each flower has a longish narrow tube of up to 1 cm in length below the spread of the corolla. The finger-like, oblong petals bulge in the centre, the margins rolled under. The stamens are inside the flower tube where longitudinal bands of fine hairs are also present.

The fleshy leaves of this plant are shallowly toothed and reddish, especially near their margins. The greyish leaf hairs in the photo have caught some grains of sand, not surprising for the habitat where the plant grows. Fortunately for the appearance of the flowers, the sand doesn’t stick to them.

Blooming happens from winter to midsummer.

This plant was photographed near the beach at Vermont in Walker Bay during September (Manning, 2007; Mustart, et al, 1997; iNaturalist).