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Ceratocaryum argenteum
Also called Silver Arrowreed
Elephant quills (silver arrowreed) is a grass-like South African perennial of the Restionaceae family that forms clumps 2 to 3 metres tall on coastal sands. It is grown mainly for its silvery, reed-like form and is best suited to a sunny, well-drained site.
Ceratocaryum argenteum, commonly known as silver arrowreed, is a species of plant in the Restionaceae family and is native to the Cape Provinces of South Africa.
Ceratocaryum argenteum has an unusual seed dispersal strategy. It employs chemical compounds to deceive dung beetles, which treat the seeds as if they were true animal fecal matter. The beetles bury the seeds. This strategy of faecal mimicry is shared with another species, namely Ceratocaryum pulchrum. The seeds are not consumed or gathered by rodents.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Ceratocaryum argenteum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
