Pollination occurs through the action of birds. The seed is released nine to twelve months after flowering. The seed is dispersed by means of the wind. The seeds simply lie on the ground until they are able to germinate, as opposed to being stored in the infructescence. The wildfires which periodically move through the land in which the tree grows destroy the adult plants, but the seeds can survive such an event. The plant grows on south-facing slopes, in sandstone and quartzite-derived soils, at altitudes of 1,400 to 2,300 metres. It occurs in habitats of montane grassland around the Long Tom Pass, sourveld on mountain summits and cliff-slopes, and the fynbos which can occur in afromontane areas of the Northern Escarpment.