Blepharis capensis defending its blooms

Two open flowers of Blepharis capensis as well as some brown, young buds on top of upper leaves are on display in the photo. A Blepharis flower has a short corolla tube and one laterally symmetric lip with rounded lobe tips. The white corolla is conspicuous enough to be noticed by pollinators, spiny enough to be defended against browsers, sufficiently equipped for producing seed.

The plant was met outside Oudtshoorn in August. It is common in the Little Karoo, growing in most habitat types of the region apart from the higher mountain slopes (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010).