Polygala myrtifolia var. pinifolia flower

This Polygala myrtifolia var. pinifolia flower seen in August near Oudtshoorn shows the dark tip of its keel and the thread-like crest residing there. It consists of a coherent tuft of long purple bristles with white tips. They emerge from the lower forward corner of the almost rectangular keel. The keel is white for the most part at the back, black at its tip with purple shading where the two colours meet.

The wings look like petals, but are enlarged sepals. The actual lateral petals are small and two-lobed (Manning, 2009; JSTOR).