Leucadendron coniferum Meisn.

Shrubs or small trees up to 4 m with a stout trunk. Branches erect, fairly slender, numerous in males, at first minutely adpressed-pubescent, soon becoming glabrous. Leaves narrowly oblanceolate, acute, apiculate, twisted 90° near the base, patulate-erect, glabrous when mature, finely veined when dry, in male plants up to 7.7 cm long, 7 mm broad, in female plants up to 8.3 cm long, 95 mm broad. Involucral leaves becoming yellow in the flowering season, few in number, broadened and ciliate below, the inner (about 6) becoming much smaller and bract like. Juvenile leaves sparsely villous. Male inflorescence 2.8 cm long, 1.8 cm diam., solitary, terminal, globose, barren towards the apex, without smell. Basal bracts 5.5 mm long, 5.2 mm broad, 5-7 in number, sub-orbicular, dusky, glabrous, minutely ciliate. Floral bract 1.8-2.5 mm long, 1-1.7 mm broad, obovate, short-ciliate and densely pubescent above. Floral bud 5-6 mm long, glabrous, apex flattened. Perianth tube 2 mm long, glabrous, surrounded by a few hairs at the base. Claw 1.7 mm long, recurved 90°, glabrous. Limb 2-2.3 mm long, concave, hooked. Anthers 1.5 mm long, linear, curled upwards, soon devoid of pollen at anthesis. Pollen scattered, triporate, subspherical with sides 25 µ long, polar depth 20 µ. Stigma abortive, 1.3 mm long, somewhat hoof shaped with a constriction near the apex, does not act as a pollen presenter. Style 3.7-5 mm long, filiform, glabrous, somewhat broader below. Hypogynous scales 1.3-2 mm long, subulate, pale yellow. Nectar seen at the apices of the hypogynous scales and filling the perianth tube. Receptacle 1.8 cm long, 4 mm diam., clavate. Female inflorescence 2.7 cm long, 1.4 cm diam., silvery green with yellow-green florets arranged in 8 ascending spirals of up to 9 in each, without smell, imbricated by the involucral leaves. Basal bracts 5-7 mm long, 5-6 mm broad, about 4 in number, ovate, dusky above, subacute, minutely apiculate, minutely ciliate. Floral bract 3-4 mm long, 8-9 mm broad, broadly elliptic, sometimes slightly retuse at the apex, short-ciliate, densely short-pubescent except near the base, thick and fleshy, not at all connate, adjacent bracts arranged in two spiral rows. Floral bud 4-5 mm long, with the stigma protruding at all times, surrounded by a few hairs at the base. Perianth segments imbricated forming a tube 4 mm long, glabrous, divided below. Claw 0.3 mm long, glabrous, recurved 45° or not at all. Limb 0.7 mm long, glabrous, laterals concave, anterior retuse, posterior flattened and obtuse. Staminodes 0.25 mm long, anterior absent. Ovary 1.1 mm long, bilobed, glabrous. Style 3-3.8 mm long, glabrous, narrower below. Stigma 0.8 mm broad, lateral-oblique, cleft. Hypogynous scales 0.8-1 mm long, tapering, pale yellow. Nectar seen at the throat of the perianth tube. Receptacle 2 cm long, 6 mm diam., clavate. Mature female head indehiscent, 4.4 ± 0.5 cm long, 3 ±0.1 cm diam., ellipsoid, apex retuse, with bracts broad, retuse, margins glabrous, connate below. Fruit samaroid, 9-10 mm long, 9 mm broad, compressed, roughly orbicular in outline, broadly winged, dusky, emarginate. Pitted.