Montinia caryophyllacea male flowers

Male flowers of Montinia caryophyllacea grow in terminal corymbs. Flowers in different stages of development are present in the photo taken near Vanrhynsdorp in August.

Globose buds, big and small are clutched by stubby sepal lobes, the largest ones already yellower than green as opening nears.

The open flower is white, its four rounded petal lobes spreading, usually to about 6 mm in diameter. The four stamens are nearly erect, their filaments angled in.

The empty calyx tube in the centre has the four largest sepal lobes and the longest pedicel (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Leistner, (Ed.), 2000).