Brunia laevis old flowerheads and stem-tips

Brunia laevis, the silver brunia or vaalstompie in Afrikaans, bears densely overlapping leaves that cling to the stems. This results in neat, grey-green cylinders covered in regular geometric patterns. The leaves are faintly hairy.

The spherical flowerheads in bloom are covered in cream-coloured stamens, now only these smooth, ash-grey, dark-dotted surfaces are left (Manning, 2007; Bean and Johns, 2005; www.fernkloof.com).