Isopogon
(from isos, equal, and pogon, a beard; referring to the beard-like fringes on all parts of the inflorescence). ORD. Proteaceae. A genus comprising about twenty-nine species of greenhouse evergreen shrubs, limited to extra-tropical Australia, and having the habit of Petrophila. Flowers yellow, pink, or lilac, in dense spikes or cones, each flower sessile, within a bract or scale; the cones hemispherical, globular, or ovoid, terminal, or rarely axillary. Leaves rigid, entire or divided, terete or flat, and sometimes broad. For culture, see Protea. The following is a selection of the species introduced:
I. anemonifolius (Anemone-leaved). fl., perianth yellow, glabrous, except the terminal tufts of short hairs; cones sessile, solitary, or in clusters of two or three at the ends of the branches, nearly globular. July. l. on rather long petioles, once or twice trifid or pinnately divided, with linear or linear-acute, entire, bior trilobed segments. h. 4ft. to 6ft. 1791. (L. B. C. 1337; B. M. 697, under name of Protea anemonifolia.) I. attenuatus (attenuated). fl., perianth pale yellow; laminae villous outside; the tube glabrous, or nearly so; cones terminal or in the upper axils, sessile, depressed, globular. April. l. oblong-spathulate to almost linear, with a small straight or hooked point, much narrowed into the petioles, thick, and almost veinless. h. 2ft. to 3ft. (B. M. 4372.) I. Baxteri (Baxter's). fl., perianth pink, very villous; cones depressed, globular, terminal, often clustered amongst numerous floral leaves. April. l. from broadly cuneate, undulate, and toothed only at the end, to twice or thrice three-lobed. h. 2ft. 1831. (B. M. 3539.) I. cuneatus (cuneate). fl., perianth pale purple, glabrous, or with small tufts at the lips of the laminae; cones terminal, depressed, globular. June. l. from obovate-oblong to lanceolate or oblanceolate, obtuse, with a small callous point, rather thick, obscurely veined. h. 7ft. to 8ft. 1830. (B. M. 3421, under name of I. Loudoni.) I. longifolius (long-leaved). fl., perianth yellow, silky-villous; cones terminal, sessile, ovoid or at length globular. April. l. long, linear or oblanceolate, obtuse with a small callous or acute point, narrowed into a long petiole. h. 2ft. to 8ft. 1823. (B. R. 900.) I. roseus (rose). fl., perianth pink, glabrous, tipped with small tufts of hairs; cones terminal, globular, solitary or clustered. April. l. once or twice ternately divided or shortly pinnate; the segments linear or cuneate, entire or three-lobed, rigid, flat, concave or channelled, acute, but scarcely pungent. h. 1ft. to 4ft. 1840. (B. M. 4037, under name of I. scaber.) I. sphaerocephalus (globe-headed). fl., perianth tube glabrous; the laminae densely hirsute, with yellow hairs; cones solitary and terminal, or two or three crowded at the ends of the branches, globular. March. l. linear or almost lanceolate, obtuse, with a short callous point, slightly contracted towards the base, but sessile; margins often recurved, and the midrib prominent beneath. h. 4ft. (B. M. 4332.)