Sorocephalus
(from soros, a heap, and kephale, a head; alluding to the clustered heads of flowers). SYN. Soranthe. ORD. Proteaceae. A genus embracing about ten species of greenhouse, erect or rarely diffuse, Health-like, densely leafy shrubs, confined to South Africa. Flowers in small heads, clustered in corymbose or capitate spikes; perianth slender, the limb globose or oblong. Leaves scattered, clustered, or nearly imbricated, lanceolate or narrow, sometimes subulate, entire, or the lower ones dissected. A selection of the best-known species is here given. Some of them should be seen in every collection. For culture, see Protea.
S. diversifolius (variable-leaved). fl. purple; heads as large as a small plum, solitary, sessile, ovate, obtuse. June. l. spathulate-lanceolate, smooth, glabrous; lowest ones 2in. long, trifidbipinnatifid, channelled; upper ones 1/2in. long, undivided, imbricated, slightly obtuse, sub-concave. Stem slender, nearly simple, pubescent above. h. 2ft. to 6ft. 1803. S. imbricatus (imbricated). fl. lilac, four to five lines long, the lamina bearded; heads sub-ovate, as large as a plum, often two or three aggregate; peduncle scarcely 1/2in. long. June. l. imbricated, oblong-lanceolate, acute, inflexed-mucronulate, at length somewhat spreading, four to five lines long, scabrousdotted on the back. Branches slightly pilose, at length glabrous. h. 3ft. 1794. An elegant shrub. SYN. Protea imbricata (A. B. R. 517). S. Ianatus (woolly). fl. purple, plumose-bearded, in heads as large as a hazel-nut; involucre five to seven-leaved, coloured; peduncle short, with or nearly without bracts. August. l. imbricated, subulate-linear, four to eight lines long, channelled above, obtusely carinate at back, or rounded, slightly scabrousdotted, pilose-ciliated. Branches slightly pilose. h. 2ft. 1790. S. setaceus (bristly). fl. purple, the claw rather loosely tomentose, the lamina bearded; heads varying in size between a cherry and a plum; spike sessile, ovate. July. l. bristly, slender, smooth, 1in. to 1 1/2in. long, mucronate, and, as well as the branchlets, pubescent. Branches straight, slightly tomentose. h. 2ft. 1823.