A large erect shrub 1.5-3 m in height up to 2 m in diam., with a stout main trunk, branching near ground level. Stems upright, 5-10 mm in diam., densely cinereously pubescent initially, becoming glabrous later. Leaves ascending, narrowly oblong to oblong with almost parallel margins, 100-180 mm long, 14-30 mm wide, apices obtuse to acute, bases subsessile to sessile, abruptly tapering to truncate or abruptly cuneate; puberulous at first but soon glabrous except at junction with stem. Inflorescences oblong to obconic, 100-130 mm long, 60-80 mm wide. Involucral receptacle convex, 20-25 mm wide, 5 mm high. Involucral bracts 6-7 seriate, outer series irregularly ovate-oblong 10-15 mm long, 10-12 mm wide, hard, papyraceous, brittle, margins cracking and splitting, apices acute, becoming horny, cracked and recurved, sparsely puberulous to glabrescent; inner series oblong, narrowly oblong, to linear-spathulate, densely sericeous, apices rounded, very densely tomentose with thick 8-10 mm long beards, usually black, occasionally white or with black and white pubescence mixed. Perianth 70-100 mm long, straight, pubescent except for glabrous tube region; tube 8-10 mm long, quadrangular, glabrous, merging with claws becoming puberulous to villous; claws slender, velutinous, inner lips puberulous; limbs 10-15 mm long, the two lateral adaxial limbs prolonged into 15-25 mm long densely lanate brush-like awns, the median adaxial awn much reduced, glabrous and subulate, the free abaxial limb linear-subulate. Anthers 3, the abaxial anther reduced to a staminode. Style 55-70 mm long, ancipitous and puberulous basally, glabrous and terete terminally. Pollen presenter straight, 7-10 mm long, markedly geniculate at junction with style, linear-filiform, apex capitellate. Ovary obconic, 3-5 mm long, covered with 10 mm long straight, tawny trichomes. Hypogynous scales ovate-acute, 1.5 mm long. In general, flowering takes place between February and November, with the westerly races tending to be autumn and winter flowering, while the easterly races tend to flower in spring and early summer.
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Shrub, erect, single trunk, branching near ground, 1.5-3.0 m high. Leaves subsessile, curved upwards, oblong, 100-180 x 14-30 mm, acute to obtuse, hairy, later glabrous. Flower head oblong to obconic, 100-130 x 60-80 mm. Involucral bracts 6-or 7-seriate, cream-coloured to carmine, imbricate; outer series ovate-oblong, 10-15 x 10-12 mm, glaucous, sparsely hairy, margins horny, brown, recurved; inner series oblong to spathulate, rounded, 90-110, hairy, tip rounded with white or black beard, 8-10 mm long, silver-hairy below beard. Flowers 70-100 mm long, tube 8-10 mm with woolly, brown awns; style 55-70 mm long, straight, base hairy; pollen presenter 7-10 mm long, thread-like, bent at base. Flowering time Feb.-Nov.
Like P. laurifolia but leaves narrowly oblong, green.
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