Dune conebush

Description

Leucadendron coniferum, also known at the dune conebush, is an evergreen, dioecious shrub or small tree of up to 4 m (13 ft) high, that has been assigned to the family Proteaceae. It has a whorl of conspicuous yellow leaves subtending the flowerheads. The flowers can be found in August and September. It grows in sandy soils near the coast of the Western Cape province of South Africa. Leucadendron coniferum is an evergreen, dioecious shrub or small tree of up to 4 m (13 ft) high, that develops from a single main stem near the ground. The branches are slightly grooved lengthways and initially may have some rusty hairs pressed against its surface, while later only some powdery hairs remain. The leaves are cartilaginous in consistency, hairless or with some soft hairs, linear inverted lance-shaped, 3.2–6.4 cm (1¼–2½ in) long and 3–5 mm (0.12–020 in) wide, ending at the tip in a rather long and sharp extension of the midvein, the surface hairless or slightly softly hairy. The male flower heads are surrounded by an involucte of few yellow leaves that gradually become shorter and broadened at the base closer to the head. The male head is cone-, egg- or almost globe-shaped and about 1¼ cm (½ in) in diameter. The bract subtending the individual male flower is about 1½ mm (0.06 in) long, oblong, with a nearly pointy tip, covered in long, soft and winding hairs and a regular row of straight hairs along the upper half of the margin. The lower part of the 4-merous perianth of the male flower that remains merged upon opening called tube is about 2 mm (0.08 in) long, slightly compressed, with long, soft, straight hairs. The middle part that consists of four free segments ones the flower opens (called claws) are about 2½ mm (0.10 in) long, linear spade-shaped and covered in long, soft, straight hairs. The higher part consists of four segments (called limbs) that are about 1 mm (0.04 in) long, oblong with a blunt tip and covered in long, soft, straight hairs. The oblong anthers are directly merged to the perianth limbs and about ⅔ mm (0.025 in) long. The rudimentary style in the male flower is about 3 mm (0.12 in) long, cylinder-shaped, somewhat flattened below, narrowing above and softly hairy. It is topped by a bluntly hoof-shaped stigma of ⅔ mm long. At the base of the style are four line-shaped scales of about 1 mm long. Female flower heads are about 14 mm (0.56 in) in diameter.