Didelta carnosa var. carnosa bracts around a bud

The involucral bracts around a Didelta carnosa var. carnosa flowerhead are very different from the plant’s leaves.

In picture a young flowerhead is developing on a longish stalk, still protectively concealed by its involucral endowment. Even the mature, long leaves, narrow and hairy with rolled under margins curve inwards, suggesting concerned body language around the floral event to be.

The outer bracts are shorter, broad-based and triangular, also hairy. Their margins tend to be somewhat down but not in as pronounced a way as those of the leaves. Inside the outer bracts a second ring of smaller bracts is visible; narrower, but otherwise similar, appearing free, tall and curving in (Manning, 2009; Le Roux, et al, 2005).