Leucadendron argenteum male flowerhead

The male Leucadendron argenteum tree produces more pollen cones or flowerheads than the female does fruit-cones. Silver trees are wind-pollinated.

Once the pollen disappears from the old male flowerhead, this multicoloured aftermath of bract and floret remains lasts for a short while before dropping off.

The fruit cones on the female tree have reason to last longer: delivering ripe seed for dispersal is a bigger job that takes time, often years or the lifetime of the tree.

The male flowerhead becomes up to 5 cm in diameter, the female one is roughly similar size before pollination, about 9 cm tall and 6 cm wide when mature, after pollination.

The fruit is a black, hairy nut about 1 cm long. It is dispersed wind-borne with the help of the old flower, attached via the persistent style (Coates Palgrave, 2002; http://pza.sanbi.org).