Khadia carolinensis flower

The white or slightly cream flower of Khadia carolinensis grows solitary on a stalk that presents it just above the leaf tips. The anthers at the tips of the stamens in the central cone are pale yellow. Without them the flower would not produce seed as the antherless staminodes are sterile. Uneven positioning of the narrow petals gives the flower a somewhat ragged appearance.

The flower closes at night, re-opening only on every sunny afternoon. The staminodes, neatly together in the central cone of the young flower, spread increasingly with the petals on each of their daily acts of opening. So these staminodes gradually add to the unkempt appearance as the cone disintegrates.

Blooming happens from midspring to midsummer. This specimen was photographed in January east of Carolina in Mpumalanga (Smith, et al, 1998).