Leucadendron discolor male flowers

Leucadendron discolor peaks in decorative splendour with blooms in spring and summer. The common name of pom-pom flame-tips is quite apt; so is rooitolbos in Afrikaans.

The sexes are represented on separate plants. The erect shrubs grow to over 2 m. The male cones have orange-red tops, are yellow lower down, based in a cup of broad, creamy yellow bracts. The females, like many bird species, are less showy; their flowering cones are green, tinged with yellow and red. The leaves are oval-shaped, blue-grey, sometimes with a purple tinge in winter.

The habitat is the acid soil slopes and plains near Piketberg that get hot and dry in summer (www.smgrowers.com).

The picture was taken in the Harold Porter National Botanical Garden in October.