Leucospermum profugum, the Piketberg pincushion, is a species of evergreen shrub in the family Proteaceae. It is an endangered species, only known from three close locations in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It has hairless and leathery inverted lance-shaped to oblong leaves tipped with mostly three or four teeth and flattened egg-shaped flowerheads of in diameter, that consist of initially yellowish-orange flowers that later change to salmon pink. From the center of the flowers emerge almost straight styles that jointly give the impression of a pincushion. Flower heads can be found between late September and December.
Leucospermum profugum is an evergreen, creeping shrub. It grows up to 8 m (25 ft) in diameter, 4 m (13 ft) across, with an exposed, stern rootstock of thick, from which several unbranched creeping stems extend of 2âÂÂ4 m (8âÂÂ16 ft) long, woody and over a considerable length mostly leafless at base, 2âÂÂ3 cm (þâÂÂ1ü in) thick sometimes covered with same cork, and 4 m across. It grows from a single main stem of up to 10 cm (4 in) thick, and has a smooth, grey bark. The flowering stems often have a bow shape, with the flower heads emerging at a right angle. The soon hairless leaves are inverted lance-shaped to oblong, 3âÂÂ5ý cm (1.2âÂÂ2.2 in) long and 6âÂÂ8 mm (üâÂÂâ  in) wide, having a rounded or cut-off tip with three or four teeth. At base, it has leafless main branches that trail over the surrounding vegetation and rock. The leaves are usually pointing upwards and often bent somewhat towards the base of the branch.
The flattened egg-shaped flower heads of 9âÂÂ12 cm (3.6âÂÂ4.8 in) in diameter are set on a stalk of up to 3âÂÂ3ý cm (1.2âÂÂ1.4 in) long, and arranged individually at a richt angle to the stem. The common base of the flowers in the same head is cone-shaped with a pointy tip, 2âÂÂ2ý cm (0.8âÂÂ1.0 in) long and 1âÂÂ1â  cm (0.4âÂÂ0.6 in) across. The bracts that subtend each flower head are lance-shaped with a pointy tip, 5âÂÂ7 mm (0.20âÂÂ0.28 in) long, cartilaginous in consistency, and covered with densely matted woolly hairs.
The bract that subtends each flower individually is egg- to heart-shaped, about 11 mm (0.44 in) long and wide, and the upper end very densely set with woolly hairs, with the tip abruptly pointy and 4âÂÂ5 mm long. The 4-merous perianth is 3ýâÂÂ4 cm (1.4âÂÂ1.6 in) long, initially yellowish-orange but later change to salmon pink. The lowest, fully merged, part of the perianth, called tube, is about 1ý cm (0.6 in) long, at 1âÂÂ1ý mm (0.04âÂÂ0.06 in) narrow and hairless near the base but expanded and widened and minutely powdery higher up, where it is 3ýâÂÂ4 mm (0.14âÂÂ0.16 in) diameter. It is keeled on the side facing the edge of the head. The upper part (or limbs), which enclosed the pollen presenter in the bud consists of four lobes, each about 4 mm (0.16 in) long and 1ý (0.06 in) wide and carries hard, stiff rust-coloured hairs. From the perianth emerges the style that bents towards the center of the head and tapers towards its tip, is 4ýâÂÂ6ü cm (1þâÂÂ2ý in) long. The thickened part at the tip of the style called pollen-presenter is narrowly egg-shaped or cone-shaped with a pointy tip and about 1 mm (0.04 in) long, with a groove acting as the stigma skewed to the side of the center of the head. The ovary is subtended by four orange, awl-shaped scales of long.
Unlike other creeping Leucospermum species, the Piketberg pincushion has longer styles of 4ýâÂÂ6ü cm, and large, 3âÂÂ5ü cm long, quickly hairless, inverted egg- to lance-shaped leaves, with mostly three or four teeth near the tip. The habit of the Piketberg pincushion differs rather strikingly from that of its trailing relatives in that it produces only a few main unbranched stems, of up to 4 m long across the rocks and the surrounding vegetation. These emerge from a woody rootstock that is usually exposed and grows in the cracks between the rocks.
As far as known, Miss C. Edwards was the first to collect the Piketberg pincushion for science in 1914, and John Patrick Rourke described the Piketberg pincushion in 1970.
The species name profugum is a Latin word meaning "fleeing outward".
L. profugum has been assigned to the section Tumiditubus.
The Piketberg pincushion can only be found on the southern slopes of the Piketberg, between Aasvoelkop and Versveld's Pass, at an altitude of . The species only occurs in well-drained conditions, like rocky outcrops or small koppies made of Table Mountain Sandstone. It grows alongside low Restionaceae, Diosma vulgaris, Rhus africana, and Leucadendron glaberrimum.
The Piketberg pincushion is considered endangered, because only three locations are known where it can be found, within an area of only , and are potentially under threat due to too frequent fires.