Stoebe capitata flowering

The globular flowerheads of Stoebe capitata grow at stem-tips, densely covered in small mauve, pink or white florets. The florets are five-lobed, each separately enveloped at its base by several rows of brown bracts. The corolla lobes may spread, showing pointed tips or the tips may recurve, giving the corolla outline a rounded appearance as in the photo.

Both the stamens (with dark anthers) and the stigma are exserted from the floret mouth, the pale stigmas taller, some visible in the photo. Flowering happens from summer to early autumn.

The specific name, capitata, refers to the knob-like flowerhead: caput is the Latin for head, the Latin suffix -atus indicating possession or likeness.

The white visible on the leaves in picture is in the Stoebe genus the densely felted upper surface, the lower surface dark green and less hairy. The margins curve up and the spaced, narrow leaf blades are variably twisted.

There are short pale hairs upon the stems that start off pale, darkening early (Manning, 2017; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; Andrew, 2017; iNaturalist).