Leucadendron elimense with female flowerhead

Leucadendron elimense female plants produce these globose red and green seed cones at the branch tips. The female florets can still be seen here, emerging above the overlapping woody bracts along the surface of the cone. The involucral leaves surrounding the cone are pale yellow with orange-red colouring on the margins near the leaf tips.

Leaves lower down have similar elliptic shape with distinct sharp tips, but are pale green in colour with red at their tips only. These green leaves are also a little smaller.

Flowering occurs late winter to mid-spring (www.plantzafrica.com; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984).