Leucadendron xanthoconus, the sickle-leaf conebush or in Afrikaans the blinkblaartolbos, is a single-stemmed shrub of up to 2 m with attractive silvery foliage. The leaves are densely spread over the many erect reddish branchlets. They are narrow, oblong or sickle-shaped and finely hairy when young only. The cones appear at the end of winter with long yellow bracts around the base of each. Male and female cones of about 1 cm in diameter grow on separate plants. Male cones are yellow; the female ones light green, but may later turn pinkish or orange-pink. The seed, growing in the female cones, are retained and only released through fire.

This shrub is considered to be still an underutilised garden plant that deserves more widespread planting. It is considered to be a hardy plant. The natural habitat of Leucadendron xanthoconus is the lower mountain slopes in the southern parts of the Western Cape, from the Peninsula to around Riviersonderend (www.plantzafrica.com; Manning, 2009; www.bokkemanskloof.co.za).