Leucadendron Species, Silver Tree

The Silver Tree is the iconic tree of Table Mountain, Cape Town, colouring its cooler slopes in shades of pewter. It is extemely suscepti...Read Moreble to Phytophthora, which did not occur in South Africa until a century or so ago. This is why it sometimes just wilts away - even tall, settled trees. Its native soil is a mineral rich, acidic, weathered granite sandy loam with a high stone content (good drainage) that is soaked in winter and baked dry in summer. Any Mediterranean type climate should be suitable. I would add an anti-fungal once a month or so during watering to avoid phytophthora wilt. Cape Town is famously windy at times and this tree handles it with ease - the forests flashing silver as the breeze brushes through them.

There is a magnificent Silver Tree specimen at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum, in Santa Cruz, CA. The foliage is mysteriously reflective, pa...Read Morele aqua-silver; the tree's form is rather like a tall, overgrown shrub. The flowers are not immediately apparent, as they mimic the leaves of the branches' growth tips. But their fragrance is delicious! I kept circling back in a walk through the arboretum, which is home to many wonderful plants, to spend more time with this tree.

I've grown this plant very easily from seed. It took about two months to germinate in the lathe house. Cuttings and air-layering can be d...Read Moreone too, if you have an existing plant. It likes windy conditions and no fertilizer; any extended frost will kill it. My plants have done well in San Francisco, which has a Mediterranean climate similar to its South African home.

I have not grown this plant; however, I have observed it growing in Maui, Hawaii at the Kula Botanical Garden. It is a beautiful plant t...Read Morehat really stands out when sunlight strikes the unusual foliage.