Heliophila pendula flower and fruit

The flowers of Heliophila pendula grow in a short, lax raceme. They have four petals, typical of its genus, their petal shape is obovate to elliptic. The green or purplish sepals behind them are short with rounded tips. Petal colour is white, sometimes tinged with mauve.

The central eye of the corolla may be dull yellow to olive green around the superior ovary, thick greenish style and six spreading stamens. Flowers become about 7 mm in diameter.

Heliophila flowers tend to close at night and in cool weather. Flowering of this species happens from midwinter to early spring, only in years when there is good rain. The narrow fruit pods are fairly flat, indented but not much constricted between the spaced seeds. The pods become up to 5 cm long and may be red or green (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iSpot).