Leucadendron 'Hawaii Magic' PP29,636 (Royal Hawaiian Cone Bush) - A compact shrub to 4 to 5 feet tall by as wide with red stems bearing 2-inch-long lanceolate olive green leaves that are flushed seasonally with red leaf margins and orange-red leaves in fall and plum-red new growth in spring. In late winter appear the yellow male flowers in 1-inch-tall clusters surrounded by yellow bracts that have red highlights and margins. The flowering period is fairly short, but flushes of showy red new grow emerge around the same time as flowering and continue through spring, making for a lingering colorful display.
Plant in full sun in a well-drained soil with occasional to infrequent irrigation - definitely a "drought tolerant" plant once established. This plant is relatively new into cultivation so cold hardiness has not been well tested but likely it will prove hardy to at least 25°F and perhaps a bit lower. As with others in the Proteaceae it is best to avoid using any Phosphorus fertilizer. While this cultivar is not the most colorful of the Leucadendron that we grow, it is very attractive and is the most compact of the colorful cultivars, making it a great choice for smaller gardens and as a potted specimen.
Leucadendron 'Hawaii Magic' comes from a breeding program conducted at Kula, Hawaii by John Cho of the University of Hawaii with the goal of creating a showy compact plant with short internodes and is the result of crossing Leucadendron salignum 'Red Devil' with Leucadendron discolor in 2012 with the selection made of one plant from this cross in 2013. We first received it for trial in 2015 and our original plant was planted in a large concrete pot in front of our sales office that in the summer of 2017 measured 37 inches tall by 48 inches wide. This plant received US Plant Patent PP29,636 on September 4, 2018 is marketed in the US by PlantHaven. This introduction was followed in 2020 with the 2nd plant in this Royal Hawaiian
of Leucadendron 'Hawaii Sunrise'.
The information about Leucadendron 'Hawaii Magic' PP29,636 displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |