Phaenocoma prolifera flowerhead

Phaenocoma prolifera flowers are made conspicuous by the coloured bracts stacked in several whorls or rings around the disc of tiny florets. The bright pink colour gradually fades with age, leaving the bush covered in flowers of several colours, some being nearly white with age, as they may remain on the bush for several months.

The tiny, warty leaves are unusual even among the diverse leaf forms in the so versatile fynbos.

A taller white form grows on the lower north slopes of Maanschynkop near Hermanus (Bean and Johns, 2005).