These flowers, maybe as tall as 1m, are growing on the Azalea Path in Stanley Park. I expected that doing a search on candelabra or tiers would yield results, but not yet. I thought these looked like composite flowers in tiers of two or three, yellow, with pale fuzzy banners.
Phlomis sp. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phlomis https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=...urce=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=AGYKUN-DNsfZ0QXvkJzfCg
Thanks, Silver surfer. It would seem to be Phlomis russeliana. Here's a page (in French) that shows some of the other species. http://lejardindenteoulet.kazeo.com/les-phlomis/les-phlomis,r165740.html I don't see anything in the descriptions about its being a composite flower. Family is Lamiaceae. Leaves are opposite, with each pair at right angles to the previous. That pale upper part seems to be called a hood for this flower.
This is not a composite-type inflorescence (head) - there is no special podium for the flowers (receptacle). Rather all flowers have individual pedicels attached to the stem. This type of inflorescence called "verticillaster" and it is common for Lamiaceae: http://plantmaterialsandusage.blogspot.com/2012/03/verticillaster.html
Thanks, Andrey. Totally new term for me, and that site answers lots of my questions. I'm very happy to have that link here.
