Blepharis capensis old spike, new branches

New Blepharis capensis growth has pinkish red stems. Pairs of stem-spines angle out below the leaves at the nodes.

The young stems in picture surround the old inflorescence spike, showing a column of brown, withered flowers with spiny calyces. The flowers had grown at the central stem-tip earlier, before it developed side-branches.

A flower spike contains from four to nine flowers (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; JSTOR).