Leucospermum parile

Description

Leucospermum parile is a rounded shrub, of up to 1½ m (6 ft) high that is assigned to the Proteaceae family. It has narrow, grey felty leaves of about 2 cm (2 in) long and 7 mm (0.28 in) wide, with rich yellow, globular, well-scented flower heads of about 3 cm (1.2 in) across. It grows in pure white sand in the strandveld of a very small area in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is called Malmesbury pincushion in English and Malmsburyluisie in Afrikaans. It flowers from July till November. The Malmesbury pincushion is a more or less upright, rounded shrub, of up to 1½ m (6 ft) high, that develops from a single and stout stem. Many of the lowest branches spread along the ground, while the flowering branches are upright, round in cross-section, and felty hairy. The leaves are slightly pointing upwards and somewhat overlapping, line-shaped or broadly line-shaped, 4–6 cm (1.6–2.4 in) long and 6–8 mm (0.24–0.32 in) wide and are covered in a dense grey layer of short cringy hairs. The tip may be entire or carry up to 3 teeth.