Cyclopia meyeriana fruit pods

The fruit of Cyclopia meyeriana is a nearly cylindrical pod, in picture still green. The calyx persists at the base of the pod, the styles at some of the tips.

The hard-coated seeds inside have waxy appendages. The fruit is preceded by bright yellow flowers displaying Fabaceae pea flower-like features.

The flowers grow solitary from leaf axils. Bracts clasp the base of the shallow-tubed calyx that has triangular lobes. The banner recurves, grooved down its centre; the oblong wings flank the incurved keel. There are ten stamens, the filaments dilated.

Flowering happens from midwinter to midsummer, peaking in spring.

Several Cyclopia species are pollinated by carpenter bees, maybe this one as well (Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iNaturalist; http://pza.sanbi.org).