Leucadendron cadens I.Williams

Shrubs spreading 50 cm wide, or falling over rocks, developing from a single stem at ground level. Branches pliant, glabrous, short, irregularly bent, becoming leafless with a rough brown bark. Leaves of male plants up to 2.2 cm long, 4 mm broad, of female plants up to 3.4 cm long, 6.5 mm broad, narrowly oblanceolate, obtuse or sub-acute, with a blunt apical callus, narrowed to the base, thick, glabrous, sub-glaucous, tinged with red, obscurely veined, sub-secund, erect. Involucral leaves similar to the stem leaves, un-crowded, inconspicuous, sometimes yellowish. Male inflorescence up to 1.6 cm long, 1.5 cm diam., solitary, terminal, yellow, with the flowers spreading at the apex, cup 8.5 mm diam., giving off a faint spicy small. Basal bracts varying, 7 mm long, 6 mm broad, sub-orbicular, short-ciliate, glabrous, not at all oily, about 71 cm number, with adjacent bracts in two spiral rows. Floral bract 10.5 mm long, 1.5 mm broad above, 0.8 mm broad below, linear, glabrous, translucent, not oily, surrounded by a few hairs at the base. Floral bud 1.05 cm long, glabrous, yellow above, surrounded below by a few hairs. Perianth tube 9.5 mm long, glabrous. Claw 1.8 mm long, recurved 90°, glabrous. Limb 2.8 mm long, linear, hooked, glabrous. Anther 2 mm long, erect, presenting the pollen. Pollen triangular in polar view with convex sides 33 µ long, polar depth 27µ. Stigma 1.5 mm long, cylindric, minutely cleft, partly presenting the pollen Style 1.1 cm long, filiform, narrower above, pubescent below. Hypogyno µscales 6.5 mm long, of which 1.5 mm below connate with the perianth, fili form, pale yellow. Nectar not seen. Receptacle 7 mm long, 4 mm diam., clavate, acute. Female inflorescence 1.4 cm long, 1.05 cm diam., ovoid, solitary, terminal, with the florets clustered at the apex. Basal bracts similar to the male, about 94 cm number. Floral bract 7 mm long, 6 mm broad, broadly lanceolate, apex sub-acute and minutely refuse, pubescent towards the base. Floral budSA mm long, stigma partly exposed at the apex, pubescent in the middle. Perianth tube 7 mm long, pubescent, divided and glabrous below, surrounded below by a tuft of hairs. Claw 1.5 mm long, recurved 90°, glabrous. Limb 1 mm long, glabrous. Staminode 0.5 mm long. Ovary 1 mm long, ovoid, laterally short-pubescent. Style 7.5 mm long, narrower below, glabrous. Stigma 0.7 mm broad, terminal-oblique, cleft. Hypogynous scales vestigal. Nectar not seen. Receptacle 7 mm long, 3 mm diam., clavate-conic, acute. Mature female head 2.7 cm long, 2.5 cm diam., globose, dehiscent, with bracts glabrous, shining, reddened, apices somewhat elevated and sub-retuse, pubescent below. Fruit a nutlet, 7 mm long, 8 mm broad, 4 mm thick, brown, pubescent near the basal scar, perimeter ridged.