DSC_2892Sounds like a disease, looks like a firework, but is actually an Aster.  Unlike other plants in this family, i.e. sunflowers and daisies, Feay’s Palafox only has one type of flower instead of two.

Think of a sunflower.  The few, but showy, yellow flowers around the outside are all individual ray flowers.  The more numerous, but drab, brown circles in the middle are all individual disc flowers.  Imagine plucking all the yellow bits off, just leaving the brown bits in the middle.  That’s kind of like what Feay’s Palafox is, just the middle disc ones.  Not as eye catching, kinda weird and pointy looking, but pretty neat, eh?