Leucospermum calligerum pale perianths

The live Leucospermum calligerum flowerhead in picture still has creamy pollen presenters glowing like tiny candle flames at most style tips. The variable red purple styles are more or less erect but not straight. The four elaborately recurved segments of each of the opened perianths are pale pink around the style bases. Together the recurved parts form a flattish dome over the ovaries. The outside surfaces of the perianths are notably hairy here.

The older flowerhead below? Dry, and grey to white. All visible parts hairy and dead. The seeds inside probably not. Some of the parts are at least semi-recognisable, like abandoned items in a vehicle scrapyard. Or, if a positive image is called for, the head may serve as visual accompaniment for the violins in Vivaldi’s Winter (Manning, 2009; Rebelo, 1995; iNaturalist; https://pza.sanbi.org).