Serruria phylicoides old heads

Old Serruria phylicoides flowerheads end in accordance with their common name: white beards of the bearded spiderheads last beyond the floral days. By now the best colour is provided by the bright yellow, boat-shaped bracts below and around the fuzzy heads of black and white bits. These bracts range in colour from cream to orange.

The flowerheads have different looks on plants growing at different elevations in the veld. The effects of that are observed in the width and colour of the involucral bracts.

The fruits are released about two months after flowering, carried away by ants to their nests as food. That is how the seed dispersal takes place, and how the seeds are protected underground from fire (Bean and Johns, 2005; Rebelo, 1995; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iNaturalist).