Leucadendron spissifolium is a resprouting, multistemmed plant reaching about 1,3 m in height.
The hairless leaves are narrow and acutely pointed, twisted at the base. The male ones become up to 63 mm long, the female ones 80 mm.
The fruiting cone on a female plant is an ovoid structure, displaying only the tips of its many closely overlapping bracts. The photo shows some of these hard and long container shapes at the stem tips. Their robust nature is required for retaining the precious seeds for an undefined long period. The cone colour in picture is a dusty, dull red-brown; only a little pale yellow colouring may be glimpsed on the lower bracts near the base. Bract overlap is spirally patterned; their broad, curving lips pursed to resist all intrusion.
Below the cone the broad, yellow to ivory involucral leaves are twisted on this plant seen in the Tradouw Pass in October.
The species distribution is from the Cape Peninsula in the Western Cape along the mountains and flats along the south coast across the Eastern Cape and slightly into the south of KwaZulu-Natal.
The habitat is fynbos in sandstone derived soils. Of the five recognised subspecies three are not considered to be threatened in their habitats early in the twenty first century, one is vulnerable and one is near threatened (Manning, 2007; iSpot; http://redlist.sanbi.org).