Hereroa aspera, the slaapvygie

The fruit capsules of Hereroa aspera, some of which are present in the photo, have five locules covered by tiny closing bodies.

The Afrikaans vernacular name of this (and some other Hereroa vygies) is slaapvygie (sleep mesemb), referring to the flower opening times. Slaapvygies open late in the afternoon or only in the evening when the flowers of many other plant species tend to close.

The later they open, the stronger usually the flower fragrance. Fragrance is more important to night pollinators not so dependent on sight for finding flowers (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Smith, et al, 1998).