Leucospermum erubescens Rourke

An erect shrub to 2.0 m in height, with a single main stem; bark smooth, grey. Flowering stems erect, 0.5-1.0 cm in diam., covered with a dense indumentum of fine crisped hairs. Leaves oblanceolate-elliptic to oblong, 70-8.5 cm long, 1.0-2.0 cm wide, usually truncate and with 3 teeth, occasionally rounded and with up to 7 teeth at apex; erect, loosely ascending imbricate, glabrous. Inflorescences numerous, generally 4-8 clustered at the apex of a flowering shoot, slightly asymmetrical, the styles generally displaced adaxially; ovoid, 5.0-6.5 cm in diam.; prominently pedunculate, peduncle 2.0-3.0 cm long. Involucral receptacle obliquely conic-depressed to obliquely spheroidal, 1.3 cm in diam., very clearly differentiated from the peduncle. Involucral bracts very broadly ovate, 6.0-8.0 mm long, 6.0 mm wide, tightly imbricate, cartilaginous, apices abruptly acuminate, outer surface tomentose. Bracteoles obtrullate, 1.0 cm long, 0.7 cm wide, cartilaginous, apices abruptly acuminate; thickly lanate proximally. Perianth straight in bud, 3.0-3.5 cm long, uniformly velutinous; yellow on opening becoming deep crimson with age. Perianth tube 1.0-1.2 cm long, slightly laterally compressed, glabrous proximally, swollen and puberulous distally. Perianth claws straight, velutinous becoming tightly coiled subterminally. Perianth limbs 3.0 mm long, narrowly ovate, tomentose, beset with stiff erect trichomes. Style 4.0-5.5 cm long, very slightly adaxially arcuate; yellow, becoming crimson with age. Pollen presenter clavate to cylindric-obtuse, 3.0 mm long. Hypogynous scales hyaline, 2.0 mm long, subulate. Flowering takes place from August to January. On opening, the styles and perianths are pale yellow but as the flower ages both style and perianth become brilliant crimson. Up to eight inflorescences per flowering shoot are produced which persist for about two months.