Edmondia pinifolia yellow disc florets

The solitary, stem-tip flowerheads of Edmondia pinifolia are made up of tiny, yellow disc florets. The inner, fertile florets are five-lobed, their tiny petals covered in gland-tipped hairs.

Conspicuous dry, papery bracts occurring in several rows surround them, resembling flower better than the many little flowers do themselves. These involucres are pink, sometimes white and (maybe) rarely yellow. Flowerheads measure 2,5 cm to 3 cm across. Flowers are seen from spring to midsummer.

The plant in the photo is presenting its flowerheads in a dense cluster. They all grow solitary on slender, erect stems of similar length, not easily missed by their pollinators (Manning, 2007; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984).