Syncarpha vestita floral geometry

These Syncarpha vestita flowerheads show a striking colour contrast between the many rows of shiny white, papery bracts with acutely pointed tips and the central dark discs, each comprising many florets.

All the five-lobed, fertile florets open around the perimeter of the discs are dark, the buds yet to open in the centre pale again. Each flowerhead grows at a stem tip, reaching a diameter of up to 4 cm between the spreading bract tips (www.plantzafrica.com).