Miraglossum pulchellum flowers and buds

The flowers of Miraglossum pulchellum nod in whorls on long, sparsely hairy pedicels from leaf axils. The five triangular sepal lobes of each flower in picture are much darker and shorter than the also five oblong corolla lobes that taper to pointed tips in their upper parts.

The petals are variously coloured on plants of this species, from cream, yellow, green or brown and hairy on both surfaces, more so on the outside. Petal dimensions are about 8 mm long and 4 mm wide. These petals or corolla lobes recurve abruptly and strongly at the flower base, positioned well out of the way of pollination activities.

All of that happens in the erect flower parts where the thick corona lobes arise in the erect staminal column. The corona lobe appendages, compared in shape to rhino horns, curve out opposing the stamens. These are the miracle tongues of the plant’s name, Miraglossum.

Flowers of the Apocynaceae family are perfect, i.e. hermaphroditic or bisexual with all parts of male and female reproductive equipment present in the compact, radially symmetric (actinomorphic) flower structure.

The cluster of closed buds present in picture above the open flowers are rounded to slightly five-angled and flat-topped. They are purplish grey with five seam sutures showing where the petal margins meet, as well as the small, pointed tips of the sepals protruding slightly from the backs of the buds (Germishuizen and Clarke, 2003; Pooley, 1998; iNaturalist).