Most grow in and around the city of Cape Town, but outlying (perhaps introduced) populations exist near Somerset West (Silwerboomkloof), Paarl and Stellenbosch.

In addition, there are three tiny outlying populations nearby, in Stellenbosch, Somerset West and Paarl (it has not yet been established for certain whether these are natural outliers, or were planted here in early Cape history).

The Somerset West population is located within a natural heritage site called Silvertree Gorge, in the Spanish Farm suburb.

In the face of urban development, inappropriate fire management, and invasive alien trees such as pines and gums, silvertrees have been driven from about 74% of their natural range.

A major deterrent to propagation of the silver leaf tree is its short life span, as most don't live more than 20 years.