Leucadendron dregei E.Mey. ex Meisn.

Shrubs up to 0.6 m, decumbent and spreading developing from a single stem at the base. Branches short, fairly stout, tomentose at first, glabrous and brown when old, well clothed with leaves; more stout with a very thick bark in female plants. Leaves linear oblanceolate, glabrous, thick and fleshy, veins obscured, thinly adpressed-silvery pubescent when young, apex acute with a small blunt mucro, tapering evenly to the narrow base, in male plants 2.5 cm long, 3 mm broad, in female plants hollow on the inside, convex with a faint keel on the outside, sometimes falcate, up to 4.5 cm long, 5.5 mm broad. Involucral leaves similar to the stem leaves, slightly more crowded, neither colourful nor conspicuous. Male inflorescence terminal, solitary or with up to 7 additional heads around the base of the main one, globose, greenish yellow, 1.6 cm long, 1.8 cm diam., giving off a strong smell of ripe bananas. Basal bracts the outer ±14 narrowly triangular or tapering, acute, pubescent, ciliate, mucronate, 5 mm long, 2.5 mm broad, the inner 33 becoming longer, more narrow, glabrous and eventually almost caudate, 1.2 cm long, 2 mm broad, conspicuous and projecting beyond the base of the opened flower head. Floral bracts 3.5 mm long, 0.3 mm broad, linear, glabrous below, with a sparse tuft of hairs at the apex, coloured and obtuse at the apex. Floral bud 7 mm long, pubescent with matted hairs, slightly enlarged at the apex, surrounded below by a dense tuft of hairs. Perianth tube 2 mm long, glabrous. Claw 3.5 mm long, recurved 90°, thinly crisped-pubescent. Limb 1.5 mm long, lanceolate, concave, hooked, densely pubescent. Anther 1.3 mm long, linear. Pollen triangular in polar view with sides 33 µand polar depth 20µ. Style 5 mm long, narrower above, pubescent and bent 1 mm from the base. Stigma abortive, 1.3 mm long, clavate, acting as a pollen presenter. Hypogynous scales 1.7 mm long, 0.7 mm broad, adnate below, tapering, pale. Nectar not seen. Receptacle 7 mm long, mm diam., globose. Female inflorescence 2.5 cm lonrj, 2.4 cm diam., givin off a faint smell of bananas, terminal, globose, covered in the upper half wit the starry green florets arranged in 8 (or 5) spirals with 4 (or 6) florets in each, closely imbricated in the lower half by about 42 brown, lanceolate bracts which are similar to those of the male. Floral bracts 1.1 cm long, 7 mm broad, lanceolate, acute, ciliate, very densely villous below, fairly short-pubescent above, glabrescent at the apex. Floral bud 1.2 cm long, densely white-silky villous, surrounded below by a dense tuft of long hairs. Perianth tube 7 mm long deeply divided, silky villous, glabrous at the base. Claw 4 mm long, silky villous Limb 2 mm long, linear, green, concave, hooked, pubescence becoming shorte towards the apex. Staminode 1 mm long, linear, curling upwards. Ovary 1.3 mm long, ovoid, densely villous. Style 1 cm long, glabrous, narrow. Stigma 0.7 mm diam., sub-oblique. Hypogynous scales 1.7 mm long, subulate, yellow. Nectar seen filling the perianth tube. Receptacle 1 cm long, 6 mm diam., shortly cylindrical with a conical apex. Mature female head indehiscent, 3.5 err long, 3.0 cm diam., globose with a somewhat pointed apex, with bract glabrescent, elongated and elevated towards the apex. Fruit a nut, 5 mm long, 3 mm broad, biconvex, obtuse at the apex, acute at the base, villous above an short-pubescent below with the style persisting for a long time, enclosed a first within the membranous lower part of the plumed perianth which acts as parachute for dispersal.