Serruria adscendens flowerheads

Divided leaf tips of Serruria adscendens, green and needle-like, stand taller than these flowerheads. The contortions of floral parts in the busy mopheads make more sense if one bears in mind that this is a member of the Proteaceae family.

In this family the perianths have to split, the individual flower segments have to separate and deposit the pollen they hold on the inside of their tips onto the style tips that function as pollen presenters to members of the animal kingdom. These reddish rods are visible here, curving up purposefully among the mess of other flower parts. At this point the segments are used up; as basic flower components useless and looking the part.

As signal flags or advertisements aimed at pollinators though, they are most useful: Random contortions among these discards develop an allure of their own, irrelevantly attracting people who can contribute zilch. but more importantly they attract the sought after pollinators who see the colours and recognisable disorder of the flowerhead and they know:

Below this confusion of curly strips the nectar and pollen are waiting for our arrival. Its not too clear what our services entail. We admittedly do become a little covered in stuff and arent so clean! But as to our benefits all is clear and accepted... unless of course, someone has been here before us!