Leucadendron chamelaea (Lam.) I.Williams

Shrub up to 2.3 m, glabrous, erect, developing from a single stem at ground level and branching immediately into several erect stems and a few small branchlets. Branches terete, straight, glabrous, well clothed with leaves at first. Leaves in male plants up to 4 cm long, in female plants up to 4.5 cm long, in both sexes up to 6 mm broad, linear-oblanceolate, glabrous, erect, apex acute with a small blunt mucro, narrowed to the base, more or less equal in length on the same branch. Involucral leaves in male plants up to 4.5 cm long, often smaller, narrow, pale, glabrous, few in number, not concealing the head but exceeding it. In female plants up to 6.8 cm long, 6 mm broad, erect, narrow, pale, glabrous, crowded, forming a cup, exceeding the head but not concealing it. Male inflorescence 2 cm diam., depressed-globose, solitary at the ends of branches and of branchlets arising from below the central head, giving off a pungent smell. Basal bracts 6 mm long, 4 mm broad, lanceolate, acute, apex hollowed and sub-mucronate, short-ciliate, purplish in the middle of the lower half, about 22 in number. Floral bracts 5.2 mm long, 2 mm broad, oblanceolate, obtuse, glabrous, glutinous and weakly ciliate above, concave, margins translucent. Floral bud 1.05 cm long, curved, glabrous, yellow above, with about 6 hairs surrounding the base. Perianth tube 5 mm long, glabrous. Claw 1.5 mm long, recurved 180°, glabrous. Limb 3 mm long, linear, glabrous. Anthers 2.2 mm long, linear, erect. Pollen a swollen triangle in polar view with sides 33 µ and polar depth 25 µ. Stigma abortive, 2 mm long, cylindrical, erect, acts as a pollen presenter. Style 8 mm long, narrowing above, villous below. Hypogynous scales 3.5 mm long, acicular, pale yellow. Nectar seen in the perianth tube. Receptacle 7 mm long, 4 mm diam., conical. Female inflorescence 1.7 cm long, 2.1 cm diam., globose, solitary at the ends of long straight branches and sometimes branchlets, less numerous than the male, giving off a pungent smell. Basal bracts 7 mm long, 7 mm broad, numerous, ovate, glabrous, glutinous, sparsely short-ciliate. Floral bracts 4 mm diam., orbicular, sparingly pubescent about the middle, sparsely minutely ciliate. Floral bud 9.5 mm long, linear, transversely compressed, almost glabrous, numerous. Perianth tube 6.5 mm long, transversely compressed, laterally somewhat pubescent. Claw 1.5 mm long, recurved 180°, occasionally villous on the midrib. Limb 1.5 mm long, linear, glabrous, concave, somewhat hooked. Staminodes 0.5 mm long, erect. Ovary 1 mm long, ovoid, short-pubescent. Style 7.5 mm long, glabrous, narrower below. Stigma 0.5 mm broad, terminal or sub-oblique, bifid. Hypogynous scales 2 mm long, pale, comªpressed, tapering. Receptacle 1.5 cm long, 4 mm diam., cylindrical. Mature female head dehiscent, 3.7 cm long, 3.5 cm diam., globose, glabrous, with numerous bracts, green when ripe, becoming brown as they dry out and release the fruit, not in the least adnascent, adjacent bracts arranged in 5 spiral rows. Fruit 7 mm long, 5 mm broad, narrowly winged, abaxial surface ventricose, adaxial surface strongly keeled, brown, mottled.