Leucospermum praecox Rourke

An erect, rounded shrub, 2.0-3.0 m in height, up to 4.0 m in diam., with a single, stout main stem to 8.0 cm in diam. Basal branches smooth, bark grey. Flowering stems terete, 0.5-1.0 cm in diam., covered with a dense, cinereous indentum of short crisped hairs interspersed with long, patent, silky trichomes. Leaves glabrous, obovate to broadly cuneate, 3.5-7.0 cm long, 1.5-3.0 cm broad, 6-11 toothed at the apex; loosely ascending imbricate. Inflorescences sessile, axillary, globose, 6.0 cm in diam.; up to 4 inflorescences produced on each branch. Involucral receptacle broadly conic, acute, 2.0 cm long, 1.5 cm wide. Involucral bracts tightly adpressed imbricate, ovate acute, 8.0 mm long, 5.0 mm wide, cartilaginous, densely tomentose, cinereous. Bracteoles obovate, abruptly acuminate, 0.0 mm long, 5.0 mm wide, very thickly lanate proximally, cartilaginous. Perianth 3.0 cm long, yellow on opening, becoming orange with age. Perianth tube 6.0-8.0 mm long, glabrous and narrow proximally, becoming minutely puberulous and inflated distally, constricted at junction with perianth claws. Perianth claws pale yellow; becoming recurved subterminally, puberulous. Perianth limbs narrowly lanceolate, 5.0 mm long, beset with long, straight, sericeous trichomes. Anthers subsessile, lanceolate. Style 3.8-4.8 cm long, adaxially arcuate, tapering subterminally, pale yellow becoming orange with age. Pollen presenter narrowly conical, acute, 3.0 mm long. Hypogynous scales 3.0 mm long subulate, hyaline. L. praecox is remarkable in that it commences flowering in April and May. By September, the yellow perianths have faded but the styles persist, becoming bright orange in colour.