Solanum africanum hiding the flower faces

This cluster of Solanum africanum flowers face down to the sand on a dune near Cape Agulhas in January. The flowering season peaks in summer, although this hardworking species may flower throughout the year.

The flower stalks of this plant are better presented than the nodding flowers. The stalks are nearly black, shiny and sparsely covered in tiny hairs. They become progressively thinner in repeated branching to the individual flowers that so diligently hiding their faces.

The stubby calyx lobes around each flower base are slightly paler than the stalks. The outer surfaces of the petals are pale with dark bluish-purple at the base and a line along the centre towards the tip (Manning, 2007; iSpot).