Hesperantha cucullata buds open daily

Hesperantha cucullata grows a few sword-shaped leaves annually from its perennial corm, protected in a woody coat underground. The flower spike bears three to eight white flowers in spiral arrangement.

In broad daylight only the red or brownish outside surfaces of the three outer tepals are visible, as if they are new buds, still to open for the first time. White slits between the tepals, the flowers may well have been open late on a day or days before the photo, because they are regularly closed in the mornings, opening only late afternoon or evening, often becoming fragrant at night. Bees and moths both contribute to pollination of the species (Manning and Goldblatt, 1997; Manning, 2009; www.pacificbulbsociety.org).