Pachycarpus concolor subsp. transvaalensis

Many perennial herbs are found in the grasslands of the eastern parts of southern Africa. This one, growing from a tuberous rootstock, is Pachycarpus concolor subsp. transvaalensis. The plant has milky sap in its stems and long, elliptic leaves.

The clusters of unusual flowers with their elegantly shaped petals always merit a closer look. The petals are separate to the base in this species, forming an open, shallow cup. Other species have petals that cohere at their margins, halfway to the tips or more and present deeper, more closed cups. Some Pachycarpus flowers are held upright by their stalks like the ones in picture, others nod. This plant has dark corona lobes. It was photographed in June near Mbabane in Eswatini (iSpot).

(There are more pictures and stories about this plant in the Pachycarpus Album.)