Pelargonium triste stigma branches straight

The young Pelargonium triste flower seen here has five short, straight branches on its pale, purple brown stigma over the flower centre. This stigma isn’t fully developed yet, still positioned at the same height as the two dull orange-yellow, fluffy anthers touching it.

At this stage the action is still all in the male floral parts: as viable pollen is uploaded here by visitors imbibing nectar. The immature stigma remains impervious to its own pollen, like a lady-in-waiting of a different ilk.

There are more headless white filaments present in the flower in picture. Pelargonium flowers mostly don’t bother with growing anthers on all the filaments of their stamens. Enough as good as a feast? Not quite in keeping with the much seen plant overproduction tendencies when it comes to reproductive diligence. But the economies of scale found in so many thousands of naturally developed biodiversity solutions on earth are still being contemplated by continuing generations of students. 

There is graceful curvature in the petals, the three lower ones curving back more than the upper pair; blue-purple banded on this plant and painted with vigour. A hairy sepal, dull green going into red freckled, allows a peek at its bluntly pointed tip below the petals (Curtis-Scott, et al, 2020; Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Manning, 2007; Bean and Johns, 2005; iNaturalist).