Shrubs up to 2.5 m., erect, developing from a single stem at the base, in male plants much more dense, more branched and with smaller leaves than in the female plant. Branches in male plants erect, flexuose, often purplish, glabrescent, slender; more stout in female plants. Branchlets in male plants finely adpressed pubescent, very thin and numerous; in female plants tomentose, fairly stout, few in number. Leaves in male plants up to 3.4 cm long, 4.5 mm broad, much smaller on branchlets, oblanceolate, acute or obtuse with a blunt mucro, twisted towards the base, thinly adpressed-pubescent becoming glabrous, somewhat erect; in female plants up to 7 cm long, 8 mm broad, linear-oblanceolate, obtuse or subacute, mucronate, narrowing and twisted towards the base, adpressed-pubescent becoming glabrous. Involucral leaves absent. Male inflorescence 1.1 cm long, 5 mm diam., below, spreading above, very numerous, terminal, those above often clustered together, with up to 16 florets in each. Basal bracts 4 mm long, 3 mm broad, ovate, very hollow, glabrous, ciliate, about 23 cm number, closely imbricating the sides of the head. Floral bracts 5.5 mm long, the outer 2 mm broad, the inner becoming 0.5 mm broad, linear with a tuft of shaggy hairs at the apex, glabrous below. Floral bud 7 mm long, apex acute, yellow above, sparsely pubescent in the middle, surrounded below by a tuft of hairs. Perianth tube 5 mm long, sparsely pubescent above. Claw 0.5 mm long, recurved 90°, glabrous. Limb 4 mm long, linear, acute, yellow, glabrous. Anthers 3 mm long, linear, acute, somewhat decumbent. Pollen triangular in polar view with sides 38µ, polar depth 26µ. Stigma abortive, 1.5 mm long, bifid, linear. Style 5 mm long, filiform, adnate below, glabrous. Hypogynous scales absent. Receptacle 2 mm long, 0.6 mm diam., clavate. Female inflorescence 4 cm long, 2 cm diam., ovoid, purplish with an acute apex from which the stigmas protrude in a small tuft. Basal bracts up to 2.2 cm long, 1.7 cm broad, about 119 cm number, increasing in length, enclosing the head on all sides, deltoid, acute, ciliate, glabrous above, short-pubescent below, adjacent bracts lie in two spiral rows. Floral bracts 2.3 cm long, 1 cm broad, lanceolate, obtuse, ciliate, densely silky pubescent below becoming shorter above. Floral bud 1.25 cm long, densely villous with the style and stigma projecting 5 mm at the apex. Perianth concealed beneath the bract, 2 cm long, including claw and limb, densely villous. Claw about 1.1 cm long. Limb 3.5 mm long, linear, acute, glabrous above, anterior segment truncate. Staminode 2 mm long, anterior absent or dwarfed. Ovary 1 mm long, 0.6 mm diam., densely long pubescent. Style 2.3 cm long, filiform, glabrous. Stigma 4 mm long, lateral, lanceolate, recurved. Hypogynous scales 0.6 mm long, subulate. Receptacle 1.2 cm long, 7 mm diam., ovoid. Mature female head a cone 5.5 cm long, 3.5 cm diam., top shaped with a colourful pattern of acute bracts. Fruit a nut, 8 mm long, 3.5 mm broad, 2 mm thick, wedge shaped, pubescent, style and perianth persisting as a parachute dispersal mechanism.
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Shrub, erect, 1.0-2.5 m high, dioecious. Leaves oblanceolate, softly hairy when young, hairless when mature, 34 x 5 mm in male plants, 70 x 8 mm in female ones, green, narrowed and twisted at base. Male flowers up to 16 in terminal, narrow capitula, without involucral leaves, 11 x 5 mm, yellow. Female flowers in terminal, ovoid capitula, 40 x 20 mm, purplish green, each with a pointed tip from where floral stigmas are exserted. Mature capitulum 55 x 35 mm, top-shaped with colourful bracts. Flowering time Aug., Sept. Fruit with persistent style, released.
Dioecious shrub to 2.5 m. Leaves oblanceolate, glabrescent, to 34 mm long (male), to 70 mm long (female), involucral leaves similar. Male flower heads clustered, ± 5 mm diam., female ± 20 mm diam.
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