Rocket pincushion (Leucospermum reflexum)

Description

Leucospermum reflexum is a large rounded shrub that is assigned to the Proteaceae family. It grows from a single trunk and its branches are covered in smooth grey bark. It has small elliptic to inverted lance-shaped greyish leaves of only 2–5½ cm (0.8–2.2 in) long. The heads consist of mostly dark orange (rarely pale yellow) 4-merous flowers, from which long, identically colored styles emerge, which are directed straight down during flowering. It is called rocket pincushion or skyrocket leucospermum in English and perdekop (horse head) in Afrikaans. It flowers from the end of August to December. It is an endemic species that can only be found in the southwest of South Africa. The rocket pincushion is a large rounded shrub of up to 4 m (13 ft) in diameter, which grows from a single trunk at its base. The branches are covered in smooth grey bark. The flowering stems are stiffly upright and 3–6 mm (0.12–0.24 in) thick. These are grey due to a dense covering of fine twisted hairs pressed to the surface and some long straight erect hairs. The alternately set leaves are directed upwards at an angle with the branch, elliptic to inverted lance-shaped and only 2–5½ cm (0.8–2.2 in) long, ½–1¼ cm (0.2–0.5 in) wide, and also have a dense covering of fine twisted hairs pressed to the surface. The tip of the leaf mostly has two or three teeth, but is sometimes entire. The flower heads are set individually near the end of the branches, globe to egg-shaped when young, 8–10 cm (3.1–3.9 in) in diameter on a stalk of 3–6 cm (1.2–2.4 in) long. The common base of the flowers in the same head is narrowly cylinder-shaped, 2–3½ cm (0.8–1.4 in) long and ½–¾ cm wide (0.2–0.3 in) thick. The bracts subtending the flowerhead are narrowly triangular with a pointy tip, 1–1¼ cm (0.4–0.5 in) long and 4 mm (0.16 in) wide at its foot, rubbery in consistency, with a poor tuft of long hairs at its tip and a row of hairs along its margin (like an eyelash). The bract subtending the individual flower tightly embrace the perianth at its foot, are about 1 cm (0.4 in) long and 6–8 mm wide at its base with a pointy tip that may curve out, with thick woolly hairs at the base and thinner set with long straight hairs near the top.