Senecio junceus when the carnival is over

Half a dozen Senecio junceus flowerheads past their prime are still elegant here, in candelabra style.

While the blades of the ray florets shrivel early, the green involucre retains the developing fruits in its care, that means gripping them tightly until maturity, a bit like some parents do.

The seams where the bracts still cohere as long as required, are visible upon the green, cylindrical cup surfaces (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984).