Grielum humifusum first customer

The nearly open, rain-induced Grielum humifusum flower heralds a small festive moment for its visitors, irrespective of dreary surroundings on the bare, sandy flat. Someone is already perched upon an anther down in the flower base, discreetly screened by the nearly open corolla, although it cannot offer camouflage to clients of this colour.

Vein lines cross the white patch at the base of the five wavy, lemon-yellow petals. The narrow cone of the young flower yet to open shows the darker side of a G. humifusum corolla.

The stalked leaves are hairy in the inner folds of the lobes roundly toothed along their margins. The youngest leaf parts are reddish brown, easily missed against the sandy background.

The plant was seen north of Springbok during August (Manning, 2007; Eliovson, 1990; iNaturalist).