This beautiful tree with its soft silver leaves is in nature almost endemic to Table Mountain and particularly to the slopes above Kirstenbosch where it grow in dense stands. The sight of these giant, silver proteas against the mountain with Castle Rock at the crown must be one of nature's finest and is one to treasure.

The natural distribution of silver trees is restricted to the mountains of the Cape Peninsula, Stellenbosch and Paarl. There are only a few viable populations surviving as urban development, many mountain fires and foreign invader plants have taken their toll.

The silver tree has attracted the attention of plant lovers from the earliest times It is a small well shaped tree, growing symmetrical and upright to about 10 metres with a stout trunk and thick grey coloured bark. The upright branches are covered with long, tapering leaves which overlap each other up the stem to conceal the thick branches. The grey-green leaves are covered with fine, silvery hairs which reflect the light, and give the leaves a soft, velvet feel..

Spring (Sept/Oct) marks the flowering of the silver trees. The female "cones" are markedly bigger than the male ones and densely covered in silvery hairs. Like all leucadendrons, the silver tree bears the male and female flowers on separate plants.

After pollination, which is thought to be by insects, the fruit ripens over several months. These fruits are not released from the cones for some years unless the parent plant is killed in some way or other. When released, usually in Autumn, they do not immediately fall to the ground but remain loosely within the cone with each fruit's plumed parachute protuding. The parachute is the dried part of the old flower which is still attached to the seed. It is aspecial adaptation for wind dispersal. The strong winds which occur in this region dislodge the fruit, which, although relatively large, can be transported a considerable distance by its natural parachute.

Growing Leucadendron argenteum

In nature, silver trees grow only in soil derived from weathered granite and with a high moisture content. Trees propagated from seeds or cuttings will grow in several other soil types.

The best time to sow seed is in autumn, the start of the rainy season in the Cape. Sow fresh seeds in open seedbeds or trays filled with a well-drained medium and placed in a sunny position. Broadcast the seed evenly, firm down and cover with clean sand or milled bark to the depth of approximately 1 cm. Keep the soil moist. Germination takes about 3 to 6 weeks. Seedlings are ready to transplant into individual containers when the first pair of true leaves appear. Use a medium with good drainage, water thoroughly and place in a well ventilated, sunny position to grow on. When potting, the tips of the roots can be nipped to encourage bushy root growth. The young seedlings grow fast and should be ready to be planted out after a year.

Silver trees are very sensitive to any root disturbance and should be planted out or potted up into bigger bags before the roots grow through. At Kirstenbosch the seedlings are often transplanted directly from seedbeds in the nursery, into open ground on the estate and not grown in bags in the nursery, with good results.

Short cuttings from the tip of the branches can be made in autumn.

When planting a silver tree it is important to choose the right position. They like full sun, good drainage, good air circulation and adequate water. Before planting clean the site and dig in well-matured compost. Individual holes, large enough for the root ball of each plant are made for each plant. Trees can be planted about 1 metre apart. During the first two years the plants must be watered regularly. By mulching with compost or wood chips to a depth of 50mm, weed development is kept to a minimum. Other advantages of mulching are that the soil is kept moist, soil temperatures are kept down and the plant receives nutrients as it decomposes.

The silver tree is excellent to cut for floral arrangements, lasting about a week in the vase. The trees are fast growing, but unfortunately short-lived, rarely lasting more than twenty years.

Male

Female