Erica sessiliflora prepared to wait

Bulging like the head of a knobkierie, this fleshy sepal storage facility of Erica sessiliflora, covering the ovaries at the stem tip is still covered in dry corolla remains. The stem will grow green and leafy above the knob, while the slow process of seed maturation plus the waiting period for fire to trigger their release, often carries on for long, the future uncertain for all.

The sharply pointed tips of the stem-tip leaves curve inwards on this plant (Manning and Helme, 2024; Baker and Oliver, 1967; iNaturalist).