Mimetes arboreus Rourke

Large shrub or small tree 2-6 m in height with a clean, stout, clearly differentiated trunk 100-360 mm in diam., usually branching from about 0.5-1 m above ground level; upper branches repeatedly dichotomous, form-mg dense rounded crown 2-5 m in diam., bark grey with prominent horizontal striations becoming reticulately fissured at base; bark corky up to 10 mm thick on trunk. Branches 10-14 mm thick, densely cinereously sericeous to villous, later glabrous; lower branches devoid of foliage, covered with prominent leaf scars. Leaves lanceolate-acute, sessile, ascending imbricate, 50-82 mm long, 8-33 mm wide, densely silvery-sericeous, entire with a single dark reddish-amber apical callus (only very rarely tridentate). Inflorescence broadly cylindric 80-100 mm wide, topped by a flattened coma of reduced, pink-flushed, lanceolate-acute leaves. Capitula 8-13-flowered; subtended by a subascending somewhat cucullate leaf, flushed pinkish-orange during anthesis. Outer involucral bracts equal, oblong to oval, obtuse to rounded, 10-18 mm long, 5-7 mm wide, cartilaginous, woody when dry, densely sericeous, margins fimbriate; inner series becoming oblong to narrowly oblong, 10-20 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, hirsute. Floral bracts linear, 15 mm long, 1-2 mm wide, densely hirsute. Perianth 30-40 mm long, straight, usually pink but occasionally pale yellow; tube 3 mm long, quadrangular proximally, inflated distally, glabrous; claws filiform, sericeous to densely sericeous; limbs linear-cymbiform, acute, sericeous, 10 mm long. Anthers sessile, linear-filiform, apical boss acute. Style straight, filiform, glabrous, 45-55 mm long. Pollen presenter linear-filiform, 7-8 mm long, geniculate at junction with style, apex acute, slightly curved, stigmatic groove terminal. Ovary ovoid, 2 mm long, densely adpressed sericeous. Hypogynous scales linear-subulate, 2 mm long. Fruits ovoid, 10 mm long, 5 mm wide. Flowering takes place from April until June. The fruits mature and are released in late December and January.