Dietes bicolor flower

The flowers of Dietes bicolor grow on branched, sturdy stalks. They are cylindrical in shape and about as tall as the leaf tips.

The tepals are pale lemon yellow, with a dark brown and deep yellow or orange marking, a nectar guide, present upon each of the outer whorl of three tepals. The corolla spreads widely, about 6 cm in diameter, subtended by leathery, leaf-like spathes.

The style is branched into three, flattened, petal-like sections, concealing the anthers. The nectar is found by the pollinator between the outer tepal and the spreading style branch, where the anther is conveniently waiting to be touched. Each flower lasts for about one day.

The fruit is a club-shaped capsule about 2,5 cm long. It splits open partly when ripe, releasing its seeds. Flowering happens from mid-spring to midsummer (Pooley, 1998; Duncan, 2010; Manning, 2009; www.plantzafrica.com).