Gomphocarpus cancellatus flower clusters at different stages

Three stages of floral development of the wild cotton or Gomphocarpus cancellatus, can be viewed in this photo. Buds crown the inflorescence on top, whitish open flowers are in the second cluster visible on the left lower down and aging orange-yellow flowers in the third cluster are in view on the right, near the bottom of the almost spherical stem-tip inflorescence... or three inflorescences.

Some green leaves growing near the stem-tip protrude among the individual flowers. A whitish, hairy pedicel of one of the flowers is also peeping from the sagging lower cluster.

The colouring of the open flowers and buds of G. cancellatus vary across the species distribution range. Blooming happens from autumn to midsummer (Manning, 2007; www.plantzafrica.com).