Gasteria brachyphylla var. brachyphylla flowers

Salmon pink and slightly oblique, the ellipsoid bulges at the base of the dangling Gasteria brachyphylla var. brachyphylla flowers do catch the eye of the photographer. He or she is, however, irrelevant to the plant that would rather catch the eye of pollinators.

The long, curved sunbird beaks would enter the green-striped, constricted tubes angled to the side with shallowly rounded segment tips. Eating is here more about acrobatic skill than table manners. It all works out when the bird encounters the included stamens and style in the tube, searching for the edible pollen and potable nectar.

The curved pedicels in picture are brown-red and cylindrical, darker coloured than any other floral parts on show. The long, pointed, papery bracts that subtend the pedicels are the first flower component that becomes redundant.

The ovaries that will swell into capsule type fruits after the flowering are the last to go when seeds are released. Dry perianth segment parts are often draped over the initially green capsule bodies (Frandsen, 2017; Smith, et al, 2017; Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; iNaturalist; https://pza.sanbi.org).