Protea acaulos flowerhead bracts orange

This open flowerhead of Protea acaulos displays orange insides on its inner bracts. The old leaves around the capitulum contrast with the young florets inside the ring of bracts. Many styles haven’t yet straightened from escaping the perianth clasp to hold their pollen presenter tips high.

All is well here as long as nobody or nothing steps on the ground level flowerhead, making the plant do it all over later. Which it will keep doing anyway as long as it lives, probably for longer than the photographer of this day will live (Manning, 2007; Rebelo, 1995; Rourke, 1980; iNaturalist).