Leucadendron salignum | |
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Mature female cone↑; male flower head visited by the monkey beetle Anisonyx↓ | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Proteales |
Family: | Proteaceae |
Genus: | Leucadendron |
Species: | L. salignum
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Binomial name | |
Leucadendron salignum |
Leucadendron salignum, also known as the common sunshine conebush, is an evergreen, dioecious shrub in the family Proteaceae. It produces several stems from the ground of up to 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) high. It survives the wildfires that occur every one or two decades in the fynbos, where it occurs, by regrowing from an underground rootstock. Pollinated by beetles, it flowers from April to November. The winged seeds remain in the woody cones until they are released after a fire, and are distributed by the wind. It is possibly the most common Proteaceae species in South Africa, and can be found in the Northern Cape, Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces. Its current conservation status is Least Concern.[1]