Cluster of Tubular Seed Pods

A cluster of tubular seed pods sits in a tight radial formation at the center of a spent flower head. The photograph is rendered in black-and-white with deep dark midtones and bright highlights on the blunt tips; the frame crops the arc of the cluster against a soft, out-of-focus background. Many pods show a pale circular scar at their tips and a pitted, slightly metallic surface texture.