Brunsvigia orientalis brightening the beach vegetation

This young Brunsvigia orientalis inflorescence is still adding flowers in the centre, although it may end up fewer-flowered than some of its Vermont mates in February. The grown parts do appear robust and healthy though. The summer veld has much dried material around the celebrating bulb, a little green on the side joining in.

The winged, obovoid ovaries at the pedicel tips, behind the tepals, are already bulging with ovules awaiting their pollen grains. That’s why the flowers are upturned, not to miss their fast and hopefully frequent sunbird pollination visits. Three kinds of sunbirds are known to visit the flowers of this plant: southern double-collared sunbirds, malachite sunbirds and orange-breasted sunbirds.

The pale papery, dry leaf draped below the inflorescence contributed earlier to building the bulb for this flowering. Above it the purple, pointed spathe valve in picture is no longer dominant. There were two of them, about 10 cm long, together protectively sheathing the flower buds when they were small (Duncan, et al, 2016; Bean and Johns, 2005; iNaturalist).