| Scientific Name | Leucadendron argenteum (L.) R.Br. | Higher Classification | Dicotyledons | Family | PROTEACEAE | Common Names | Brandhout (a), Cape Silver Tree (e), Silver Tree (e), Silwerboom (a), Witteboom (a) |
National Status | Status and Criteria | Vulnerable B1ab(ii,iii,iv,v)+2ab(ii,iii,iv,v) | Assessment Date | 2020/04/29 | Assessor(s) | A.G. Rebelo, H. Mtshali, R. Koopman & D. Raimondo | Justification | This species is endemic to the Cape Peninsula, South Africa. Its population has been fragmented due to past habitat loss to afforestation and urban expansion, and it remains extant at between five and seven locations, with an extent of occurrence (EOO) of 219 km², and an area of occupancy (AOO) of 116 km². Previously listed as Endangered there was an increase in the population between 2000 and 2010 as a result of extensive clearing of invasive alien plants in the early 2000s. However subsequently there has been decline as a result of habitat loss to vineyard cultivation. All remaining subpopulations continue to decline due to ongoing inappropriate fire management, alien plant reinvasion, predation of seeds by alien squirrels, and susceptibility to root fungal infections. It therefore qualifies for listing as Vulnerable under criterion B. |
Distribution | Endemism | South African endemic | Provincial distribution | Western Cape | Range | It has a restricted distribution in the Western Cape Province, South Africa, where it occurs on the Cape Peninsula. |
Habitat and Ecology | Major system | Terrestrial | Major habitats | Cape Winelands Shale Fynbos, Peninsula Shale Fynbos, Peninsula Granite Fynbos, Boland Granite Fynbos | Description | It grows in granite and shale fynbos on moist, south-facing slopes. Mature individuals are killed by fires, and only seeds survive. Wind-dispersed seeds are stored in fire-resistant inflorescences, and released after fires. It is dioecious, with insect-pollinated male and female flowers occurring on separate plants. It is prone to Phytophthora root-rot fungus which results in 1-5% of the population dying each year. Death takes place during aseasonal Berg Winds or the first hot weather in spring, and as plants are unable to access enough water they wilt and die within hours. Seed longevity is known to reach 60 years, but regeneration requires fire, or alternatively a major disturbance such as alien or plantation removal, quarrying or planting. |
Threats | | On the eastern and southern slopes of Table Mountain, L. argenteum's habitat has been heavily transformed by urbanization and agriculture. It was also transformed from Fynbos to Forest due to fire exclusion in Orange Kloof and Kirstenbosch. Parts of the Cape Peninsula were formerly densely invaded with alien species (pines, eucalyptus and acacias), which were outcompeting native species. There were extensive clearing efforts in the early 2000s, which has led to the population increasing, but ongoing management and clearing is needed to prevent reinvasions.
Currently, this species remains vulnerable to ongoing degradation of fragmented remnants due to fire-exclusion management, and reinvasion by alien invasive plants. As a reseeder, it is likely to be threatened by to too frequent fires, which is impacting many parts of the Cape Peninsula. It is however very unlikely that a large proportion of the population will be impacted by repeated fires, as most of the subpopulations are isolated from one another. There has been loss of suitable habitat at the Vlakkenberg subpopulation to vineyard cultivation which took place between 2005 and 2010. Additional threats include predation of seed bank by alien squirrels and susceptibility to root fungal infections.
This species is extensively cultivated as an ornamental tree and therefore potentially vulnerable to genetic contamination without regard to genotype or pollen movement.
Habitat-loss models predicted a population reduction of at 50% by 2025 (Bomhard et al. 2005), but no such drastic reductions has been observed, mainly because most of this species' habitat is now formally protected. |
Population | The subpopulations off the Cape Peninsula are claimed to be planted by early settlers (Malan 2000), and these include subpopulations in Helderberg, Paarl Mountain, Simonsberg, Kasteelberg and Tygerberg Hill, and were excluded in this assessment. Monitoring the Peninsula populations is complicated by plantings of between 1 000 and 10 000 plants per year by the Cape Town City Parks and Forest Branch in many subpopulations (Anon 1993). No attempt has been made to ensure genetic purity, or to document sources, plantings and success rates of the plantings and these populations must currently be considerably homogenised.
This species is known from 12-16 subpopulations. Subpopulations occur in conspicuous stands, the largest occurring at Lions Head, Devil's Peak, Vlakkenberg and Kirstenbosch. As a result of clearing of pines and gums and more regular burning the population increased between 2000 and 2010, it is now likely to be declining slowly due to the range of habitat degradation impacts.
| Population trend | Decreasing |
Conservation | | Apart from those in Wynberg, Constantia and Noordhoek Manor, all the subpopulations are in the Table Mountain National Park. |
Assessment History |
Taxon assessed |
Status and Criteria |
Citation/Red List version | | Leucadendron argenteum (L.) R.Br. | EN A2c | Raimondo et al. (2009) | | Leucadendron argenteum (L.) R.Br. | Rare | Hilton-Taylor (1996) | | Leucadendron argenteum (L.) R.Br. | Vulnerable | Hall et al. (1980) | |
Bibliography | Anonymous. 1993. History: the Silver Tree (Leucadendron argenteum). Protea Atlas Newsletter 20:10.
Bomhard, B., Richardson, D.M., Donaldson, J.S., Hughes, G.O., Midgley, G.F., Raimondo, D.C., Rebelo, A.G., Rouget, M. and Thuiller, W. 2005. Potential impacts of future land use and climate change on the Red List status of the Proteaceae in the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa. Global Change Biology 11(9):1452-1468.
Goldblatt, P. and Manning, J.C. 2000. Cape Plants: A conspectus of the Cape Flora of South Africa. Strelitzia 9. National Botanical Institute, Cape Town.
Hall, A.V., De Winter, M., De Winter, B. and Van Oosterhout, S.A.M. 1980. Threatened plants of southern Africa. South African National Scienctific Programmes Report 45. CSIR, Pretoria.
Hilton-Taylor, C. 1996. Red data list of southern African plants. Strelitzia 4. South African National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
Malan, O. 2000. Ld argenteum – DNA supersleuth. Protea Atlas Newsletter 46:12.
Manning, J.C. and Goldblatt, P. 2012. Plants of the Greater Cape Floristic Region 1: The Core Cape Flora. Strelitzia 29. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
Raimondo, D., von Staden, L., Foden, W., Victor, J.E., Helme, N.A., Turner, R.C., Kamundi, D.A. and Manyama, P.A. 2009. Red List of South African Plants. Strelitzia 25. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
Rebelo, T. 2001. Sasol Proteas: A field guide to the proteas of southern Africa. (2nd ed.). Fernwood Press, Vlaeberg, Cape Town.
|
Citation | | Rebelo, A.G., Mtshali, H., Koopman, R. & Raimondo, D. 2020. Leucadendron argenteum (L.) R.Br. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2025/04/29 |
 Comment on this assessment
|
 © C. Merry  © C. Merry  © C. Paterson-Jones  © C. Paterson-Jones  © C. Paterson-Jones
Search for images of Leucadendron argenteum on iNaturalist
|
