Berzelia lanuginosa in Bainskloof

These stem tip corymbs of globular Berzelia lanuginosa flowerheads have acquired the reddish tint sometimes seen. They top some tall shrubs on a Bainskloof slope photographed in October.

B. lanuginosa grows from a single stem, reseeding after fire as the plant base is unable to resprout. Its well-known relative, B. abrotanoides resprouts after fire, coppicing from its woody caudex.

The seeds produced in these spherical heads may be retained on the plant for a couple of years. The specific name, lanuginosa, refers to the woolliness of the young flowerheads when the protruding stamens create that impression; lanugo meaning woolliness and -osus meaning abundance or full of (both Latin) (Manning, 2007; www.plantzafrica.com; Andrew, 2012).