Shrubs up to 5 m tall, erect, slender, bushy below, arising from a single stem at the ground. Branches erect, straight, purplish, glabrescent. Branchlets numerous, scattered, short, thinly pubescent. Leaves of male plants up to 1.8 cm long, 3.5 mm broad, of female plants up to 2.4 cm long, 4.5 mm broad, oblanceolate, apex sub-obtuse with a small blunt callus, narrow and twisted at the base, semi-erect, glabrous, smooth, veins immersed; young leaves covered on all sides with a velvety pubescence; on basal shoots 2.4 cm long, 4 mm broad, sparsely pubescent, ciliate, apex tufted with hairs. Involucral leaves similar to the stem leaves, more crowded, few in number, inconspicuous, not coloured. Male inflorescence 1.2 cm long, 9 mm diam., elongated, globose, numerous, solitary, terminal, giving off a faint yeasty smell. Basal bracts varying, the outermost 5 mm long, 1.5 mm broad, lanceolate, acute, with the edges rolled inwards above, densely white-pubescent, brown, few in number, the inner 2.5-3 mm long, 1.2 mm broad, about 15 in number, lanceolate and sparsely pubescent above, much swollen and densely pubescent below, covering the peduncle. Floral bract 1.8 mm long 0.8 mm broad, oblong, obtuse, apex reddened and very sparsely ciliate and pubescent. Floral bud 4.5 mm long, erect, greyish green, densely short-crisped-pubescent. Perianth tube 1.6 mm long. Claw 1.6 mm long, recurved 180°. Limb 1.3 mm long, hollow, hooked. Anther 1 mm long, decumbent, stripped of pollen at anthesis. Pollen triangular in polar view with sides 28 µ long, polar depth 18 µ. Stigma abortive, 0.6 mm long, clavate, entire, acts as a pollen presenter. Style 3.5 mm long, filiform, glabrous, narrower above. Hypogynous scales 1.6-2 mm long, acicular, very pale. Nectar seen at the throat of the perianth tube. Receptacle 1 cm long, 2.5 mm diam., clavate. Female inflorescence about 1 cm long, 0.9 mm diam., globose, solitary at the ends of numerous short branchlets. Basal bracts varying, about 4 mm long, 2 mm broad, about 4 in number, readily falling away, lanceolate, acute, densely white-short-pubescent, ciliate, margins rolled in towards the apex. Floral bract 2.5 mm long, 4.5 mm broad, broadly elliptic, lobed, ciliate, densely short-pubescent except at the base. Floral bud 4 mm long, somewhat crisped-pubescent above, glabrous at the base. Perianth tube 2.5 mm long, pubescent and connate above, divided and glabrous below, transversely compressed. Claw 0.8 mm long, recurved 180°, pubescent. Limb 0.4 mm long, pubescent. Staminode 0.2 mm long, anterior absent. Ovary 0.9 mm long, somewhat lobed, glabrous. Style 2.4 mm long, filiform, glabrous, thickened above. Stigma 0.4 mm broad, suboblique. Hypogynous scales 1.3 mm long, narrowly triangular. Nectar seen at the throat of the perianth tube. Receptacle 8 mm long, 3 mm diam., ellipsoid, with bracts broad, lobed, retuse, glabrescent, coloured and thin above, pubescent across the middle, glabrous and connate below. Fruit 5.5 mm long, 4.5 mm broad, obcordate, compressed, narrowly winged, emarginate, black, pitted, glabrous.
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Shrub, up to 5 m high, dioecious, bushy below, slender above. Leaves oblanceolate, narrow and twisted at base, hairy when young, later hairless, 18 x 3.5 mm in male plants, 24 x 4.5 mm in female ones; involucral leaves inconspicuous, crowded, green. Male flowers in terminal, globose-elongate capitula, 12 x 9 mm. Involucral bracts few, lanceolate, brown, soft white-hairy outside, edges rolled inward. Female flowers in solitary, terminal, globose capitula, 10 x 9 mm; perianth 3.5 mm long. Mature capitulum a globose cone, 19-27 x 16-21 mm; bracts broad, pale and thin above, hairy across middle. Flowering time Dec., Jan. Fruit narrowly winged.
Like L. conicum but leaves smaller, to 24 mm long, involucral leaves inconspicuous.