Leucadendron platyspermum R.Br.

Shrubs erect, developing from a single stem at the base, male plants and female plants differing greatly. Male plants up to 1.3 m. Branches of male plants slender, terete, glabrous, yellow, longitudinally grooved, numerous, arising in clusters of 4 or 5 from immediately below the previous years inflorescence. Leaves of male plants up to 4 cm long, 5 mm broad, glabrous oblanceolate, obtuse, with a slightly recurved small blunt mucro, narrowed to the base, widely scattered, not concealing the stem, somewhat crowded and longer towards the head but not concealing it. Leaves of juveniles male and female, acicular, at first sparsely erect-villous. Male inflorescence 1.3 cm long, 1.2 cm diam. when fully spread, terminal, solitary, sub-cylindrical, with a dense tuft of long stiff white hairs at the apex which fall off as the flowers open. Basal bracts about 152 cm number, changing in shape from the outer 5.5 mm long, 2 mm broad, lanceolate, acute, pubescent, ciliate at first, to the inner 6 mm long, 0.8 mm broad, lanceolate, acute, pubescent, ciliate in the upper half, narrowing in the middle and becoming glabrous below. Floral bracts 2 mm long, broad and wine coloured at the base, acuminate above, glabrous. Floral bud 4.5 mm long, yellow and glabrous above, wine coloured and slightly villous below, standing in a tuft of hairs, apex 4-fid with a tuft of hairs. Perianth tube 1.5 mm long, bulbous, wine coloured, slightly villous above, surrounded below by a tuft of hairs. Claw 1 mm long, glabrous, recurved 90°. Limb 2.3 mm long, linear, yellow, thickened at the apex. Anthers 1.7 mm long, linear. Pollen triangular in polar view with sides 27 µ and polar depth 18 µ. Stigma abortive, 1.5 mm long, cylindrical, yellow, minutely longitudinally wrinkled, acting as a pollen presenter. Style 2.5 mm long, glabrous, pale, narrower above. Hypogynous scales 1.3 mm long, filiform, pale. Receptacle 6 mm long, 7 mm diam., conical. Female plants up to 1.7 m. Branches of female plants few in number, often solitary, arising from immediately below the previous years persistent fruiting head, stout, terete, glabrous, yellow, with a decurrent ridge at the base of each leaf. Leaves of female plants up to 7 cm long, 1.3 cm broad, glabrous, oblanceolate, with the apical callus very much broadened leaving the apex truncate or sometimes retuse, narrowed to the base, widely scattered, not hiding the stem. Involucralleaves larger and more crowded, not concealing the head. Female inflorescence 2.8 cm long, 1.4 cm diam., at about the middle of its period of flowering, with flowers in 5 ascending spirals of 5 in each. Basal bracts clothe the lower half of the flowering head which later becomes a stout peduncle at the base of the mature cone, about 45 in number, 7 mm long, 2 mm broad, lanceolate, acute, densely pubescent and ciliate, narrowed and glabrous below, standing on a very broad fleshy base. Floral bracts 1.1 cm broad, 3 mm long, 1.8 mm thick, segmental, glabrous, green, thick, fleshy, connate in a single spiral, with a tuft of long white hairs at the blunt apex. Floral bud 3.5 mm long, 1.5 mm broad, transversely compressed, laterally pubescent, yellow above, coloured in the middle, pale below. Perianth tube 2 mm long, villous and purplish above, segments free and glabrous below. Claw 0.5 mm long, laterals recurved 45° to 90°. Limb 1 mm long, glabrous, yellow, laterals lanceolate and concave, posterior somewhat hooked, anterior flattened. Staminodes 0.5 mm long, absent from the anterior segment. Ovary 1.3 mm diam., orbicular, compressed, with a fringe of hairs on either side at the base of the bract. Style 1.8 mm long, short, stout, broader above. Stigma 0.7 mm diam., oblique. Hypogynous scales 1.5 mm long, tapering, pale. Receptacle 1.1 cm long, 6 mm diam., conical. Mature female head a cone, indehiscent, about 5 cm long, 4 cm diam., with bracts glabrous, connate, double edged, lying almost level. Fruit a samara, 1.5 cm long, 3.2 cm broad, golden brown, glabrous, compressed, retuse at the apex and base, broadly winged.