This vigorous shrub has a solitary smooth greyish stem with ascending and branches that form a bushy habit. It has a dark green to silvery lance-shaped leaves and the male and cone-like female flowers appear on separate plants (dioecious) in early spring.

Hardiness zones 9 to 10

Leucadendron xanthoconus is naturally found in South Africa on the Western Cape from the Cape Peninsula to Potberg growing on the lower rocky hillsides in dense stands from sea level to an altitude of 760m (2,493 ft). 

It prefers an open to exposed sunny position and grows in very well drained, poor sandy-stony soils that are tending acidic and is drought and light frost tolerant once established. This shrub dies after fire and is regenerated by seed.

The Sickle-leaf Conebush is grown for its bright yellow bracts and its upright bushy habit. it is planted in small gardens along shrub borders for screening will uses a specimen in a open bed. It is also planted in a large rockeries and the foliage and flowers are cut and used in floral arrangements. It is suitable coastal regions and establishes in 2-3 years and is moderately long lived. This shrub is not commonly cultivated ornamentally and may be difficult to obtain requiring a specialist nursery. ID 3713

Leucadendron (loo-ka-DEN-dron)  xanthoconus (ZAN-thoh-KOHN-us)

Proteaceae (pro-tee-AY-see-ee)
Protea Family

Distribution
This family of dioecious or monoecious trees and shrubs that mainly appear in the southern hemisphere with some found in Central America and Africa. They are abundant in the southern part of Australia and normally grow on poor infertile soils that are tending acidic. Their habitats include shrubland, grassland, rainforests, alpine meadows and tropical lowlands

Diagnostic Features
The highly variable leaves are arranged alternate, opposite or whorled and are compound, dissected or lobed or pinnately toothed or simple. The margin is entire or pinnatisect and without stipules. The leaf shape can vary at different stages of growth, juvenile to adult.

The normally bisexual flowers are regular or irregular arranged in racemes or compound inflorescences (cone-like); some are solitary and appear in the leaf axils.

There are normally 4-perianth-segments that are free or united and are arranged in a single whorl, petaloid and valvate in bud joined when young and separating as the tube splits down one side. 

The 4-stamens are all fertile and appear opposite the perianth segments and may be reduced to staminodes. 

The filaments are partly or wholly attached to the tepals often sessile and the anthers are four chambered opening with longitudinal slits.

The ovary is superior and has one carpel that contains one chamber with one to many ovules.

The hooked style is simple and the stigma is small bulbous (capitate) or maybe bilobed. 

The fruit are dehiscent or indehiscent follicle or drupe or achene with few or many winged seeds.

Note:
Some species are used for food, alcoholic drink, herbal remedies and extensively used in ornamental and domestic gardens for their fantastic flowers and foliage. There are 80 genera and 1,700 species.

This plant tolerates between USDA zones 9a to 10a and grows to 2 m (6 ft)
Fahrenheit 	20º to 30ºF
These temperatures represent the lowest average.
Celsius 		-6.6º to -1.1ºC

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