Leucadendron
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| Leucadendron | |
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| Leucadendron argenteum | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| Order: | Proteales |
| Family: | Proteaceae |
| Genus: | Leucadendron R.Br. |
| Species | |
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| natural range of the genus | |
Leucadendron is a genus of about 80 species of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae, endemic to South Africa, where they are a prominent part of the fynbos ecoregion and vegetation type.
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[edit] Description
Leucadendrons are evergreen shrubs or small trees growing up to 1–16 m tall. The leaves are spirally arranged, simple, entire, and usually green, often covered with a waxy bloom, and in the case of the Silvertree, with a distinct silvery tone produced by dense silky hairs.
The flowers are produced in dense inflorescences; they are dioecious, with separate male and female plants.
The seed head is a woody cone-like structure, containing numerous seeds; the seed morphology is varied and reflects subgeneric groupings within the genus. A few such as the Silvertree have a silky-haired parachute, enabling the large round nut to be dispersed by wind. A few are rodent dispersed, cached by rats, and a few have elaiosomes and are dispersed by ants. About half the species store the seeds in fire-proof cones and only release them after a fire has killed the plants. Almost all species only recruit naturally after fires.
[edit] Species
- Selected species include
[edit] Gallery
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Leucadendron |
[edit] See also
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