The return of the gunnera

As the flowers die down and I begin paring back, the little details jump out again. Almost like a reverse spring, when the garden first comes to life. I wrote about the gunnera plant on July 22, and the amazing prehistoric
"flower" it sends up in the fall.

Here's a description from the Internet:

"The inside view of a Gunnera plant is best described as grotesque. The flowers are ghastly and stay low in the middle of the plant. The stalks are ferocious with spikes."

http://www.mooseyscountrygarden.com/foliage-plants/gunnera.html

Well, I wouldn't go that far, but it is a pretty bizarre "flower." I like the strange detail on this shot, but John pointed out (rightly so) that the picture doesn't give an idea of the scale. But I can tell you it's about as tall as two wine bottles set on end. Eventually, it gets black and mushy and flops over. That would be the "ghastly" part.