I have no experience with this as an indoor plant, but have grown it as a container plant and had it survive for at least 3 years. It can be temperamental even here in northern California, where the climate is so similar to its habitat in Capetown. Beyond giving it the requisite well drained slightly acidic soil and full sun with good air circulation that it prefers, it probably won't be happy with dry indoor winter heat or hot and humid summers. I'd be interested to hear if any South Africans succede with this outside the Western Cape. I don't recall seeing many of these around Capetown except at Kirstenbosch and growing on Table Mountain. It may be more commonly available here in nurseries than in south Africa!

This tree is extremely sensitive to phytopthera root rots and does not tolerate more than a degree or two of frost, and seldom reaches a size where one sees it in bloom. I was struck by the relatively young trees which could be seen blooming in Capetown, when even 30 foot tall trees seldom flower here in San Francisco. I have used this in several gardens I have designed, and always warn the clients not to get too attached, as the tree may be here today, and gone tomorrow! They are relatively fast growing, and always beautiful, so I think the risk of losing it is worth planting.

It seemed too easy to be such a rare plant in the trade. Too bad since it's beautiful. BTW, are there any SF area dealers of cape/SA plants selling mail order/online? RJ

RJ,

This might be a good niche market for someone, but I don't know of anyone currently selling only South African plants from California by mailorder, although I think Annie Hayes of Annie's Annuals in Richmond, Ca. may start doing so in the near future. She mostly sells annuals and perennials from mediterranean climates around the world, many from South Africa, and you could check out her web site at www.anniesannuals.com. For those in the area, or passing through, she will be having her first open nursery weekend sale on April 5/6th, info on her web site. I know I have bought some rather rare plants from both South Africa, Chile, the Canary Islands, Madeira, etc. from Annie, it is always a fun place to check out new plants.

Most of the wholesale nurseries I buy from do not even ship across the entire state, which sometimes means driving down to southern California for particular plants. Several other California wholesale growers that grow many South African plants, and put up good photos and cultural information might include San Marcos Growers in Goleta, Ca., Suncrest Wholesale Nurseries in Watsonville, and Monterey Bay Nursery in Watsonville. Some other local growers that don't have web sites wouold include Rosendale Wholesale Nursery in Watsonville(their retail affiliate/Sierra Azul Nursery does have a limited web site), and Western Hills Nursery in Occidental, Ca. In the central coast area, there are also the nurseries Native Sons and Central Coast Growers, who grow many South African natives as well. One grower who does do mail order, and has more tropical/subtropical flowering vines/shrubs and perennials from South Africa, but few bulbs, is Kartuz Greenhouses in Vista, Ca., and Michael also has a good web site. He has a large range of gesneriads in particular, and is a good source for Streptocarpus species and hybrids.

I think there has already been some mention made of bulb specialists doing mail order in California, with one grower in Los Angeles and another here in far northern California, but the names escape me.

Thanks Bahia. Except for Plant Delights here in Raleigh and a couple of things that Brent and Becky's carry there's not much on the east coast. Like you said, someone could make a business out of this wholesaling things from the west coast to retail to the east coast. I'll check out the sources you mention. Appreciate the list. RJ

I bought seed of Leucadendron argenteum from Chiltern Seeds, England, and now have a 3 year old about 20" tall. I grow it in a 8" 'long tom'(tall,narrow) clay pot and it sits on my patio in full sun all summer,watered periodically. When the leaf tips droop slightly, I water it well. It seems to love the prevailing westerlies off the Strait of Juan de Fuca. In the winter,it lives in a small unheated glass house and is watered sparingly only if the leaf tips droop and only in the morning. They are very prone to phytopthera, root rot, especially if they are cold and wet. Remember they are phosophorus intolerant. First ones I ever saw were in the Roger Raiche border at San Francisco's Strybing Arboretum. A pair of them about 5'tall, like living chrome!

Hi,

I'd be surprised if L. argenteum turned out to be a suitable house plant. In my experience Leucadendrons are cranky and prone to rot unless you have things exactly the way they want it. I tried them years ago when I live in CA, some were easy to deal with but some just died. They didn't like great summer heat, and they didn't like phosphorous, and they didn't like being moved, and they didn't like being pot-bound. I had some luck giving them fish emulsion or plain ammonium nitrate. They didn't seem to mind nitrogen.

Fine Bush People sells seeds of a fair number of Proteas, some Leucadendrons, and some Leucospermums. They seem fairly honest in their page of "Easy Plants" where they recommend plants that are not too particular. L. argenteum has never appeared on that page that I know of.

A lot of these plants need fresh air and breezes, they want to be on a mountain next to the ocean. The note above about about letting the plants wilt a bit is a reminder that a "too wet" soil, even for a short period, is not good for these plants--being so susceptible to Phytophtora. A general equation concerning Phytophtora-caused disease in susceptible plants is "more water = more disease."

Though the one note above mentions growing the plant in summer and drying it over the winter, it is normally considered a cool weather grower, you wouln't see a lot of growth in warm summer areas, but I think L. argenteum is quite susceptible to frost. The seeds germinate best in cooler temperatures with temperatures of about 35-45 F at night and 50-70 F in the day. This is one plant that just about insists on living next to the beach in southern CA, with lots of inshore breezes; or else having conditions as similar as possible.

Though susceptible to Phytophtora rot they do seem to like water, especially in their growing season. In South Africa they are reputed to grow on very quick-draining granite based soils where water can be found at depth. The soils don't seem to have a lot of organic matter in them but the plants can send their roots down to great depths to aquire water. They can continue growing some after the cool rainy season as long as it is not too hot. I've wondered if they avoid Phytophthora problems by accessing water in anoxygenic environments.

I'm trying some of the "easy" types of Leucodendron--they didn't germinate well (rate than 15%), but I'll save the seedling pots and try them next fall.

I've had great luck buying from the Fine Bush People. You just buy as many seeds as you want. The seeds arrived in very good shape, I cut several open and determined they were fat and juicy inside. I ascribe my lack of germination success to complex dormancy in the plants rather than to poor quality seed.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fine Bush People

Phytophtera is most active under warm weather conditions, and wet soils in the cooler weather of winter is generally not a problem with this disease, at least here in the generally cool year round conditions we have in coastal San Francisco Bay Area locations. If plants are kept in containers and grown with sterile/non soil mediums, phytopthera shouldn't be a problem, but this tree would still likely have problems adapting to hot humid summer locations. It is probably best appreciated in cooler mediterranean regions where it grows well, or as the grower in the Pacific Northwest does, bringing it into a cool greenhouse for the winter, and summering it outdoors where it is not too hot or humid.

Even here in San Francisco, as well as in its native Cape Town, it is notorious for sudden death without any obvious sign that it is in trouble.