Leucadendron immoderatum Rourke

Robust, erect shrub up to 2 m tall with a single main stem branching just above ground level; growth habit and leaves dimorphic. Basal vegetative branches highly divaricate with acicular terete leaves, forming a dense mat up to 2 m diam; up to 0.7 m tall, from which emerge 5-14 stout, woody, reproductive branches, bare when mature except for flat, obovate leaves at apex of each shoot. Basal branches 3-5 mm diam., covered with prominent, closely arranged leaf scars. Basal leaves acic-ular-terete, 10-20 x 1.0-1.5 mm, densely ascending to slightly incurved, upper surface canaliculate, initially sparsely sericeous, soon glabrous becoming slightly glaucous, apex mucronate. Reproductive branches stout, erect, straight, 8-15 mm diam., elongating up to 0.7-1.0 m, initially with broadly linear leaves, 15 x 5 mm, soon caducous, leaving branches bare. Upper leaves flat, oblanceolate to obovate, 25-55 x 10-20 mm, glabrous, apices rounded, minutely uncinate. Male capitula in groups of 3-6 on short shoots towards apex of reproductive branches. Bud stage enclosed in a conic-acute involucre of ovate-acute bracts, 5-25 x 5-7 mm, glabrous, margins ciliate; caducous at anthesis. Inflorescence broadly cylindric, 25 x 20 mm, minutely pedunculate. Floral bracts broadly ovate, acute lxl mm, glabrous, margins ciliate. Perianth glabrous, straight, 5-6 mm long, pale yellow; perianth claws equally recurved at anthesis. Anthers ± 3 m long. Style filiform, straight, 5-6 mm long, glabrous. Pollen presenter clavate, ± 3 mm long. Hypo-gynous scales linear-obtuse, 1 mm long.Female capitula solitary or up to 3 on short branchlets at apex of reproductive shoot surrounded by a loose pseudowhorl of erect, greenish yellow/ivory leaves. Bud stage enclosed in a conic-acute involucre of lanceolate-acute to linear-acuminate bracts, 5-12 x 3^10 mm, glabrous but margins densely ciliate-sericeous; caducous at anthesis. Inflorescence cylindric, sessile, 40-50 x 10 mm. Floral bracts very broadly ovate-acute, 5 x 6 mm, horizontally patent, projecting, cartilaginous, glabrous, but apex minutely crinite. Perianth 4-15 mm long, zygomorphic, laterally compressed; lateral perianth claws densely sericeous, adaxial and abaxial claws sparsely sericeous to glabrous. Staminodes 3; anterior staminode absent. Style straight ± 4 mm long, patent, partially clasped by sterile anterior perianth limb. Pollen presenter oblong-clavate, terminal, adaxial surface glandular. Ovary ovoid-compressed, 1 mm long, sharply differentiated from style base, glabrous. Hypogynous scales lanceolate-obtuse, 1 mm long, carnose. Mature cone 30-40 x 60-90 mm, prominently ridged. Fruit a rounded, flattened, black, samara, 8 x 10 mm, apically retuse.