Leucadendron globosum (Andrews) I.Williams

Shrubs in male plants up to 1.3 m tall, in female plants up to 2 m tall, erect, developing from a single stem below. Branches erect, straight, stout, short-pubescent becoming glabrous, coloured, few in number. Leaves up to 6 cm long, 3 cm broad, in male plants often smaller, in both sexes oval, apex round or very obtuse with a small recurved blunt callus, rounded towards the base, coriaceous, glabrous, matt dark green, veined. Juvenile leaves ciliate and clothed on both sides with a soft velvety pubescence. Involucral leaves up to 7 cm long, 3.3 cm broad, oblong, crowded, coloured. Male inflorescence 2.5 cm long, 5 cm diam., depressed globose, solitary, terminal, giving off a strong spicy smell. Basal bracts the outer 6 mm long, 5 mm broad, about 20 in number, ovate; the inner 1.7 cm long, 8 mm broad, about 59 in number, ovate, obtuse, oily, glabrous, recurved. Floral bract 1.5 cm long, 1.3 mm broad, translucent, apex lanceolate oily and yellow. Floral bud 1.8 cm long, sharply bent, glabrous, apex yellow. Perianth tube 1.2 cm long, straight, glabrous. Claw 2.5 mm long, recurved 90°, glabrous. Limb 5.5 mm long, linear, glabrous, hooked. Anthers 4.8 mm long, linear, arched upwards. Pollen triangular in polar view with sides convex 35 µ long, polar depth 28 µ. Stigma abortive, 2.5 mm long, linear, entire, partly acting as a pollen presenter. Style 1.5 cm long, sparsely pubescent in the lower 1.2 cm, narrower above. Hypogynous scales 4 mm long, filiform, connate with the perianth below. Nectar is conveyed to the throat of the perianth tube by capillary action in the grooves between adjacent perianth segments. Receptacle 9 mm long, 1.3 cm diam., depressed globose. Female inflorescence 2 cm long, 2.3 cm diam., globose, solitary, terminal, with the numerous florets clustered on the domed upper surface and with the sides closely imbricated by the recurved basal bracts, giving off a strong spicy smell. Basal bracts similar to the male, the outer 12 not recurved, the inner 56 recurved, 1.25 cm long, 8.5 mm broad, glabrous, oily. Floral bract 7.5-9 mm long, 4.2-7 mm broad, lanceolate or ovate, glabrous, oily, translucent, short-pubescent below. Floral bud 6 mm long, bent, glabrous and yellow, sparsely pubescent. Perianth tube 7.5 mm long, transversely compressed, short-pubescent. Claw 1.5 mm long, recurved 90° and more, short-pubescent. Limb 1.2 mm long, glabrous, anterior flattened. Staminode 0.5 mm long, anterior often absent. Ovary 1 mm long, ovoid, slightly pubescent above. Style 9 mm long, glabrous. Stigma 0.7 mm broad, capitate, somewhat cleft. Hypogynous scales 2.3 mm long, filiform, pale. Nectar not seen. Receptacle 1.4 cm long, 1.1 cm diam., ovate. Mature female head dehiscent, up to 5 cm diam., globose, with bracts numerous, cuneiform, recurved above, very sparsely pubescent below. Fruit 9 mm long, 5 mm broad, narrowly winged, very sparsely pubescent, apex retuse, abaxial surface convex, adaxial surface keeled.