The Latest Floral Inspiration

How Pincushion Protea Flowers Are Grown in California

With their striking colors, intricate forms, and eye-catching textures, pincushion protea flowers are an extraordinary addition to any floral arrangement. These captivating blooms, known for their pin-like appearance and velvety texture, have been capturing the hearts of flower enthusiasts for years.

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The Silver Tree

The genus is named after its most outstanding member, Leucadendron argenteum….known to botanists, gardeners and plant lovers throughout the world as the silver tree, but the early Dutch settlers dubbed it witteboom, literally ‘white tree’. In 1691 the botanist Plukenet used the name, translated into Latin, to describe the witteboom and related plants….Leucadendron, therefore, became the accepted name for this genus…

Marie Vogts, South Africa’s Proteaceae

On that projecting isthmus of land called the Cape Peninsula, at the bottom left hand corner of Africa, there can scarcely be anyone unfamiliar with the handsomest arboreal member of the protea family: silver tree or Witteboom, as it is known in high Dutch and its descendent language, Afrikaans. Always strikingly silver, it is transformed by the hot, drying, gale-force north winds of the cooler months of the year to a gleaming metallic lustre. The glory takes one’s breath away! Even the dry leaves of herbarium specimens retain their sheen, prompting Linnaeus, that first great modern plant namer, to exclaim at his desk in Uppsala, “this tree, the most shining and splendid of all plants.” I wonder if he was lucky enough to see a living specimen; the seeds were certainly available in Holland by then.

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Leucadendron Argenteum

Did you know Leucadendron Argenteum or more commonly called Silver Tree has given its name to an entire genus of Proteaceae? The tree also divulges the obvious allure of this unique group – the splendor of its foliage. The name Leucadendron is derived from the Greek leukas meaning ‘white’ and dendron meaning ‘tree’.

Referred to as Silver Tree because its soft, elliptical leaves (which remain on the trees for years giving it evergreen status) are covered with hairs that look amazingly like silver in the sunlight and they shimmer in the wind. These trees can reach up to forty feet in height.

You don't know whether it is a male or a female until the day it flowers and shows off with large, pure silver egg-like cones (female) or yellow pollen surrounding small silver buds (male). The Silver Tree relies on wind for dispersing its seeds instead of having to attract birds or other dispersers. Each fruit looks like a small nut and is equipped with a "parachute". Once the seed is freed by strong winds, it can travel a considerable distance thanks to its design.

Silver Tree branches are stunning when used in arrangements and its individual leaves are ideal in corsages and boutonnieres.