Pycnostachys urticifolia, the blue boys

The flowers of Pycnostachys urticifolia, sometimes commonly called blue boys are mauve to dark blue, their colouring sometimes compared to gentian, cobalt or cornflowers. A rare, almost white flowering form also exists.

The corolla of P. urticifolia is two-lipped, the lower one boat-shaped, the upper one smaller and erect. Corollas may become up to 2 cm long. They are notably hairy in the photo.

Each flower has four stamens in two pairs of different length, their anthers protruding above the side of the “boat” in the photo. A couple of flowers also display thin, bluish styles, twisting up for presentation among the stamens in the pollination parade.

Flowering happens from spring to autumn, mostly in late summer (Onderstall, 1984; Manning, 2009; www.plantzafrica.com; www.zimbabweflora.co.zw).