Gum Blossoms 2

A cluster of gum tree flowers, as in Gum Blossoms 1, but here many more of them have been fertilised, and have shed their red frills and closed the lid over the cup shape of the gumnut. Now we can see that each gumnut has its own thick, succulent-looking stalk that flares out at the end, holding the gumnut in place. The nuts and their stems are all coloured with bands of greenish-cream and blushing pink or purple. Behind them are just as many flowers, if not more, that retain their frills of red, and below are two gumnuts that have hardened, opened and dropped their seeds.