Mountain pink anthers

Anthers of mountain pink, Centaureum beyrichii.

Here’s a close view of the stamens of mountain pink, with their bright yellow, corkscrew-shaped anthers. Notice that some pollen has worked its way up onto the vertical petal, most likely the result of the wind blowing the petal and the anthers together. (I’ve kept this image large so you can see the details.)

I took the photograph yesterday at the entrance to the preserve called Wild Basin, which is on the hilly side of Austin where mountain pinks “belong.”

© 2011 Steven Schwartzman

(Look here for more information about Centaurium beyrichii, including a clickable map that shows where the species grows.)