Stachys aethiopica at Grotto Bay

The flowers of this Stachys aethiopica plant are white, one of the colours the plant flowers in. The dark spots that may occur on the petals are visible on the lower lips of the corollas. The dots may also be red on some plants, serving as nectar guides, meaning road signs for pollinators.

Each flower has four arched stamens in pairs of unequal length. Flowers are about 1 cm in diameter. They grow in whorls around the stems above the leaves, near the stem tips. The hairy calyx is green with purple tips to the acutely pointed sepals.

S. aethiopica is a quite variable species with square stems and aromatic leaves (Euston-Brown and Kruger, 2023; Curtis-Scott, et al, 2020; Manning, 2007; Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; iNaturalist; iSpot).