Leucadendron salignum P.J.Bergius

Shrubs up to 2 m but usually much less due to veld burning, with many stems arising from a persistent rootstock. Branches glabrous, fairly erect, often purplish. Branchlets erect, rather slender, more so in the male plant, scattered or arising in groups from immediately below the previous years inflorescence. Leaves of male plants 2-4.7 cm long, 3-5 mm broad, of female plants 4.8-5.8 cm long, 4.5-5.5 mm broad, in both sexes oblanceolate-linear, usually acute, mucronate, narrowing to the base, twisted below, glabrous, not shining, increasing in length towards the head. Involucral leaves in the male plant similar to the stem leaves but slightly longer, few in number, yellow, not concealing the head; in the female plant ivory coloured and varying from being narrow like the stem leaves and not concealing the head to being much broadened, not twisted and almost completely enclosing the head. Male inflorescence 1-1.6 cm long, 1-1.4 cm diam., globose, solitary, terminal, giving off a sweet or yeasty smell. Basal bracts 2.5-5.5 mm long, 1.3-2.5 mm broad, 6-25 in number, ovate or deltoid, ciliate, glabrous, dusky. Floral bract 1-1.5 mm long, 0.8-1.3 mm broad, ovate, ciliate, densely pubescent. Floral bud 3.5-5.3 mm long, swollen at the apex, glabrous, standing in a tuft of hairs. Perianth tube 1-1.5 mm long, glabrous. Claw 1-2 mm long, recurved 90°, glabrous. Limb 1.3-2.3 mm long, glabrous, concave, hooked. Anther 1-1.7 mm long, decumbent, devoid of pollen at anthesis. Pollen triangular in polar view with hollow sides 35 µ long and rounded apices, polar depth 17 µ. Stigma abortive, 1-1.5 mm long, clavate, minutely cleft at the apex, acting as a pollen presenter. Style 2-3.5 mm long, filiform, narrower above, glabrous. Hypogynous scales 0.6-1.5 mm long, terete, obtuse. Nectar seen at the apices of the scales. Receptacle 9-10 mm long, 4-4.5 mm diam., clavate. Female inflorescence 9-15 mm long, 9-12 mm diam., ovoid, solitary, terminal, giving off a sweet yeasty smell, with the florets arranged in 8 ascending spiral rows of 5 or 15 cm each. Basal bracts 5-7 mm long, 4-6 mm broad, 8-21 in number, broadly lanceolate, acute, ciliate, glabrous, apex dark brown, adjacent bracts in two spiral rows, imbricating the base of the head. Floral bract 3-4 mm long, 4-6 mm broad, broadly ovate, ciliate, densely short-pubescent. Floral bud 4-5.5 mm long, transversely compressed, laterally pubescent in the middle. Perianth segments imbricated forming a tube 3-4 mm long, laterals fringed above. Claw 1-1.5 mm long, recurved 90°, glabrous. Limb 1 mm long, glabrous, concave, hooked, anterior flattened. Staminode 0.3-0.5 mm long, anterior often absent. Ovary 05-0.9 mm long, bilobed, glabrous, surrounded below by a few hairs. Style 2.5-4 mm long, glabrous, narrower below, inserted on the dorsal surface of the ovary. Stigma 0.5-0.8 mm diam., oblique. Hypogynous scales 0.5-2 mm long, acicular. Nectar seen at the apices of the scales. Receptacle 7-11 mm long, 1.5-3 mm diam., clavate. Mature female head 20 ± 3 mm diam., globose, with bracts short-adpressed-pubescent, swollen in the middle, concave below. Fruit up to 7-8 mm long, 8-10 mm broad, samaroid. Compressed, winged, emarginate, dark brown, slightly pitted, glabrous, a few minute hairs at the basal scar.

Can be grown by cuttings.