Muraltia spinosa dog-ear sepals

When Muraltia spinosa ovaries bulge into fruit and other floral parts drop off, the last to go is the pair of dominant lateral sepals. The stage captured in picture sees these sepals reduced to dog-ear status. They are wavy and semi-alert but losing significance behind the ballooning, ellipsoid to ovoid fruit bodies coming into their own.

One of the three smaller outer sepals is visible between the laterals, almost round and flat with a ciliate margin.

The magnified view of the stem internode is white-mottled on the green to purple surface.

The stem damage often seen on the plant may be the result of browsing by game or stock. Many muraltias are not browsed, but this one, the skilpadbessie is (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Leistner, (Ed.), 2000; iNaturalist).