Leucadendron salignum

Male plant

Leucadendron salignum
Common Sunshine Conebush

Flowering time: April to November.
Re-sprouts after fire from underground rootstock. Multiple stems.
Conspicuous cup around the female plants.

"salignum P.J.Bergius Sprawling or erect, resprouting dioecious shrub to 2 m. Leaves linear-oblanceolate, 20--47 mm long (male), 48--58 mm long (female), male involucral leaves slightly longer, yellow, sometimes red, female larger, ivory or red. Male flower heads 10--14 mm diam., female 9--12 mm diam., sweet or yeast-scented. Apr.--Nov. Sandy and clay slopes and flats, NW, SW, AP, KM, LB, SE (Bokkeveld Mts to Grahamstown)." GOLDBLATT, P. and MANNING, J. 2000. Cape Plants. A conspectus of the Cape flora of South Africa. Strelitzia 9.
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Female plant

Sometimes the plant turns red during flowering time.

And this male plant has turned an ivory colour during flowering.

Leucadendron pubescens

Leucadendron pubescens
Grey Conebush

Flowering time: June to October
Fruits: September to January

Male and female on different bushes. Cones hairy. Found on slopes of Geelberg and on road to lower Tadpole Pools especially.

"Dioecious shrub to 2.5 m. Leaves oblanceolate, glabrous or silvery adpressed-hairy, 16--28 mm long (male), 25--57 mm long (female). Male flower heads 9--18 mm diam., female 10--20 mm diam., sweet or yeast-scented. July--Oct. Sandstone slopes, NW, KM (Bokkeveld Mts to Witteberg and Klein Swartberg).*" Goldblatt, P.and Manning, J. 2000. Cape Plants. A conspectus of the Cape flora of South Africa. Strelitzia 9.

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Serruria cygnea

Serruria cygnea

Swan Spiderhead

Leaves hairless. Mat-forming, bright green leaves and stem.
Flowers: Sept - Nov.
Growing along the main road through Riversong, especially near the gate to the neighbouring farm below Cottage 16.

"cygnea R.Br. Mat-forming shrublet to 1 m diam. Leaves secund, dissected, glabrescent, 25-70 mm long. Flower heads solitary, silvery pink to brown, fragrant, style 9-12 mm long, pollen presenter club-shaped, involucral bracts ovate. Sept.--Nov. Sandstone and clay slopes, NW, SW (Cedarberg to Slanghoek Mts).*" GOLDBLATT, P. and MANNING, J. 2000. Cape Plants. A conspectus of the Cape flora of South Africa. Strelitzia 9.
Tony Rebelo says that cygnea is hairless whereas effusa is hairy when young and retains a few hairs on older stems. "This has the green giss of cygnea (effusa is typically more purplish). From the flowerheads cygnea is flat on the ground, but effusa loops like a chandelier ..."

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