Leucadendron

taxobox
name = "Leucadendron"


image_caption = "Leucadendron argenteum"
regnum = Plantae
unranked_divisio = Angiosperms
unranked_classis = Eudicots
ordo = Proteales
familia = Proteaceae
genus = "Leucadendron"
genus_authority = R.Br.
range_

---

range_map_caption = natural range of the genus
range_map_caption = natural range of the genus
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision = See text.|

"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 vegetation.

They 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.

;Selected species