Berkheya cuneata arising from parental remains

Berkheya cuneata provides its own compost start-up for its seeds to cope with the trials and tribulations of seedlinghood.

Seeds remain inside the decaying flowerhead. When the peduncle succumbs, the head moves away from the parent plant to a random resting place. After rain one or more seeds germinate inside the familiar covering.

Apart from providing physical protection, the crumbling tissue suffused with rainwater serves as nutrition for new life to grow from the parental leftovers. A bit like a Phoenix, albeit not from ashes, as no fire had consumed the dry remains in this case.

In picture the old flowerhead remains around youthful foliage pays testimony to this form of parental care (Louis Jordaan, personal communication).