Bulbinella cauda-felis young flowers, green ovaries

In young Bulbinella cauda-felis flowers the small, green, superior ovaries in the flower centres are ovoid and ribbed. They are topped with erect, softly fleshy and slightly translucent styles that taper to tiny stigmas.

The six stamens spread widely from below the ovary, tapering just visibly to their tips where the short and thick, deep-yellow anthers appear ridged or lobed.

The pinkish tinge of the flowers is here mainly visible on the buds at the top, the outside surfaces of the tepals. It is the central ridge on each outer tepal that has most of the pink.

The flowers have long pedicels. They ascend steeply during the bud stage, less so once the open flowers veer away from the axis, rendering the open flower section of the raceme notably thicker than the rest. This leaves no doubt with pollinators as to where the food is most likely to be found.

Some of the long, pointed, white bracts subtending the pedicels are also visible in the photo (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Manning, 2007; iNaturalist).