Tylecodon wallichii subsp. wallichii young stem in October

A young Tylecodon wallichii subsp. wallichii stem has emerged from among the leaves at a stem-tip, not yet achieving its full length. The buds are yellowish on top, still kept more or less secret.

Young stems have smaller versions of the yellow-green, almost cylindrical and channelled leaves right up to the would-be flowers. The leaves are sometimes greyer green to blue-green.

Some long, dry and grey sticks emerging from slightly lower down are the remains of last year’s flower stems persisting, now leafless and smooth. They appear to show the young one where to go, as if it needed help (Smith, et al, 2017; Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; iNaturalist).