Hibiscus pusillus dry fruit capsule

The dry husk of the Hibiscus pusillus fruit is positioned at the top of a long, cylindrical pedicel that is hairy. The pedicel in picture has started to dry out from its top, below the desiccated, beige capsule structure.

On the inside of the now spreading capsule the five segments have the erect, central walls that separated the locules earlier, halving the now dehisced capsule segments. These capsule segments are shorter and rounder-tipped than the five acutely pointed sepals behind them. Capsule length is from 10 mm to 12 mm.

Below the sepals a third component of the structure, some narrow, channelled bracts of the epicalyx are also still in evidence, dry as the rest of the fruit remains.

The hairs on the outside of the capsule are long, while short on the calyx, epicalyx and pedicel (Curtis-Scott, et al, 2020; Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Manning, 2009; Pooley, 1998; Van Wyk and Malan, 1997; Gledhill, 1981; iNaturalist).