Leucadendron bonum I.Williams

Shrubs up to 1.6 m usually less, erect, developing from a single stem below. Branches few in number, stout, villous, purplish, hidden by the leaves, becoming rough, blackened and devoid of leaves with age. Leaves of male plants up to 5.5 cm long and 2 cm broad, of female plants up to 6.2 cm long and 2.6 cm broad, in both sexes erect, spathulate, veined, densely adpressed-sil-very-pubescent on both surfaces and edges, rounded or obtuse at the apex with a broad blunt callus largely concealed by the pubescence, narrowing to the base where the pubescence becomes longer. Basal bracts averaging about 4 cm long and 5 mm broad at the base, about 102 cm number, conspicuous, yellow, narrowly triangular, villous outside, glabrous inside, long-ciliate, acute. Male inflorescence 2 cm long and 2.1 cm diam., solitary, terminal, sub-conical, yellow, densely woolly when in bud, giving off a faint honey-like smell. Floral bract 1.7 mm long and 1.3 mm broad, triangular, glabrous, sparsely tufted at the apex. Floral bud 6 mm long, clavate at the apex, arched below, dense and long silky-white-pubescent, shaggy at the apex, surrounded by a tuft of straighthairs at the base. Perianth tube 1.7 mm long, villous. Claw 2.3 mm long, recurved 180°, villous. Limb 2 mm long, spathulate, hollow, hooked, shaggy villous at the apex. Anthers 1.5 mm long, linear, curled upwards. Pollen triangular in polar view with sides 45p long, polar height 27µ. Stigma abortive, 1 mm long, clavate, entire, acting as a pollen presenter. Style 4 mm long, glabrous, a little narrower above. Hypogynous scales 0.7 mm long, subulate, pale yellow. Receptacle 10 mm long and 7 mm diam., conical. Female inflorescence 1.8 cm diam., globose, solitary, terminal, with the florets arranged in 8 spirals of 4 or 13 cm each, giving off a faint honey-like smell. Floral bract 6 mm long and 8j mm broad, broadly oval, obtusely acuminate, very dense and long silky-pubescent below, shorter-pubescent above, ciliate. Floral bud 6.5 mm long, densely clothed in a long white silky pubescence, surrounded at the base by a tuft of very long hairs. Perianth tube 6 mm long, densely silky villous, deeply dividedj above and also below. Claw 3 mm long recurved 180°, densely silky villous.1 Limb 1.5 mm long, obtuse, densely silky villous. Staminodes 1 mm long.j Stigma 0.7 mm broad, terminal, bifid.Style 7.5 mm long, filiform, glabrous, a little narrower below. Ovary 1.3 mm long, ovoid, sparsely pubescent mostly towards the apex. Hypogynous scales 2 mm long, acicular, pale yellow, exuding] nectar which may be seen at the throat of the perianth tube. Receptacle 1.1 crrfl long, 7 mm broad, conoidal. Mature female head 2 cm diam., globose, pubescent, dehiscent. Fruit a nut, 5 mm long, 5 mm broad, 4 mm thick, bi-convexj very sparsely pubescent above, dehiscent.