This Polygala pinifolia flower seen in August near Oudtshoorn shows the shape and colour of the corolla. The crest at the tip of the keel consists of a coherent tuft of long purple bristles with white tips. They emanate from the lower forward corner of the almost rectangular keel. The keel is white for the most part at the back, black at its tip with purple shading where the two colours meet. The wings look like petals, but are enlarged sepals. The actual lateral petals are small and two-lobed (Manning, 2009; JSTOR).