Leucadendron modestum I.Williams

Shrubs up to 60 cm, erect, single stemmed at the base. Branches short erect, glabrous, brown, fairly thin. Branchlets numerous, erect, glabrescent reddened, thin, thinner and more numerous in the male plant, not hidden by the leaves. Leaves of juveniles oblanceolate, twisted at the base, ciliate sparsely villous on the lower surface, practically glabrous on the upper surface, with a small tuft of hairs at the apex. Mature leaves of male plants up to 1.8 cm long, 4 mm broad, of female plants up to 2.5 cm long, 5 mm broad, in bot sexes narrowly oblanceolate, obtuse or sub-acute with a small, blunt, some what reddened mucro, glabrous. Involucral leaves linear, glabrous, longer tha the stem leaves, exceeding the flower head but not concealing it. Male inflorescence 1.3 cm diam., globose, solitary at the ends of short branchlets, giving off a foetid smell. Basal bracts up to 5 mm long, 2.5 mm broad, about 14 in number, ovate, dusky, glabrous, ciliate. Floral bract 1.75 mm long, 1.5 mm broad, densely pubescent, ciliate above. Floral bud 5.5 mm long, glabrous, erect, bent upward, exceeding the subtending bract, apex swollen, clavate an yellow. Perianth tube 2 mm long, glabrous. Claw 2 mm long, recurved mor than 90°, glabrous. Limb about 2 mm long, glabrous, spathulate, concave, hooked. Anther 1.5 mm long, linear, curled upwards, devoid of pollen at anthesis. Pollen triangular in polar view with sides 35 µ long, polar depth 20 µ. Stigma abortive, 1.25 mm long, clavate, entire, acting as a pollen presenter. Style 4 mm long, filiform, glabrous, narrowing slightly above. Hypogynous scales 0.75 mm long, thick and tapering, yellow. Nectar seen at the throat o' the perianth tube. Receptacle 1 cm long, 3-4 mm diam., ovoid or clavate. Female inflorescence 1 cm long, 8 mm diam., solitary, terminal, ovoid, with florets in 8 spiral rows with about 10-15 cm each, giving off a faint smell. Basal bracts about 6 mm long, 3 mm broad, about 10 in number, triangular, glabrous, ciliate, dusky, apex recurved with a small tuft of hairs. Floral bract 3 mm long, 3 mm broad, broadly ovate, silky-pubescent, ciliate. Floral bud 4 mm long, transversely compressed below, apex slightly swollen, short anJ broad, glabrous except for a few hairs on the sides and centre towards the lower half. Perianth segments imbricate forming a tube 2.5 mm long. Claw about 1 mm long, linear, recurved about 90°, glabrous. Limb 0.5 mm long, linear, hollow, hooked, anterior flat. Staminode rudimentary, anterior absent. Ovary 0.5 mm long, ovoid, glabrous. Style 3 mm long, glabrous, narrowing to the base. Stigma less than 0.5 mm diam., oblique. Hypogynous scales 1 mm long, yellow. Nectar seen at the throat of the perianth tube. Receptacle 8 mm long, 2 mm diam., clavate. Mature female head indehiscent, up to 2.3 cm long, less than 1.5 cm diam., globose or sub-globose, with bracts tomentose. Fruit a samara, 4-5 mm long, 5.6 mm broad, winged, with a rib up the middle of the posterior surface, narrowed to the base with a few short hairs surrounding the basal scar, dark brown, pitted.