Empodium flexile flower

The pleasantly scented, yellow flowers of Empodium flexile are borne close to the ground, sometimes before the leaves. The thin and long green flower tube from ground level resembles a stalk. The generic name Empodium made from the Greek words em (within) and pod (foot) refers to the underground ovaries of these plants.

The six narrow tepals spread in a star-shape, tapering to acute-angled tips. Flowers reach a diameter of 3 cm. Thin cylindrical anthers, six of them, positioned in front of each tepal, become nearly as long as the tepals. In this flower they are erect above the flower centre, their pollen ripening from the base. Greenish veins are visible on the lower tepal surfaces (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010; iSpot).