Metalasia erubescens many heads, one inflorescence

The Metalasia erubescens flowerheads or capitula are bunched in a flat-topped inflorescence at a stem-tip.

Every head has overlapping rows of pointed, coloured involucral bracts around its few disc florets that are at this stage hardly visible. The bracts now steal the show in the beauty contest, but the bisexual florets later deliver the fruits containing the seeds.

The specific name, erubescens, is derived from the Latin word erubesco meaning to redden all over or to blush and the word part -escens that indicates process or becoming, referring to the often deep pink colouring of the involucres.

The word involucre denotes the whorled set of overlapping bracts around the florets or flowers in a head. It is derived from the Latin word involucrum meaning a wrapper (Bean and Johns, 2005; Andrew, 2017; iNaturalist; https://www.fernkloof.org.za).