Leucadendron gandogeri male or pollen cone

A Leucadendron gandogeri male flowerhead comprises numerous yellow florets designed for delivering pollen to birds and insects. The club-shaped buds at the top in the picture still have their perianths closed. Their pollen is soon to be smeared onto the pollen presenters now still inside the perianths. The pollen presenters on the styles hold their erect tips at the ready for this. The fluffy flanks of this barrel-shaped head are full of pollen presenters in open florets that yield all their pollen to itinerant pollinators.   

Having uploaded the pollen, the feeding visitors need to be hungry enough, and motivated for yet more visits. This time to female bushes of the species in the vicinity, where the open florets on the fruiting cones should be ready. Here the receptive stigmas of female florets await in numbers among the bracts for the pollen to land. 

The elegantly upcurved involucral leaves around the cone base in picture are dull creamy yellow, often with purplish red margins, veins or patches. Some will, however, be seen presenting pristinely monocoloured involucral leaves under the heads, particularly in the early days of flowering. Youthfulness of flowerheads is a sign for which pollinators will be on the lookout (Manning, 2007; Bean and Johns, 2005; Rebelo, 1995; iNaturalist).