Bulbine frutescens raceme

This Bulbine frutescens raceme has one ring of open flowers on longish stalks in its central region. The bearded filaments may trick insects into expecting much pollen, causing increases in the frequency of their visits. Neither humanity nor the devil invented deception, evolution did.

The withered flowers below are further apart, now reduced by furling around their developing ovaries.

Above the open flowers, the buds are green-ridged and dull yellow. They hold promise for the days to come, erect and congregating closely, making most of the opportunity that awaits. Whether the tiny brown buds right at the top of the raceme, clustered in a miserable-looking cone, will ever share bloomtime joys is doubtful (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010; Shearing and Van Heerden, 2008).