Pleiospilos compactus subsp. canus white flowers

This Little Karoo Pleiospilos compactus subsp. canus plant flowers white. It grows on the Minwater farm near Oudtshoorn.

Unusual or unique, other features suggest that it belongs to the normally yellow-flowering subspecies, although the ring of narrowly oblong petals in the flowers is consistently white. Only the anthers at the top of the central column of stamens in the flower centre are yellow.

The idea of albinism has been mooted, while faded pinkish white flowers are known.

As is the case for its kind, flowering happens during autumn and winter. The flowers open only in the afternoon. The subspecies has fruit capsules comprising 12 locules according to Frandsen.

It will be interesting to learn about more such specimens in the variable taxon (Frandsen, 2017; Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; iNaturalist; http://www.llifle.com).