The King Protea, Protea cynaroides, needs no introduction. It is a very worthy holder of the title of South Africa’s National Flower. The flowerheads can be up to 30cm in diameter. No other member of the genus Protea has flowers that come close to that size. Its fame has also…
The golden yellow heads of Leucadendron, conebushes, are easy to identify, but the species can often be a challenge to separate. A key character in narrowing down the options is the size of the colourful leaves that surround the flowerhead. One of the species with comparatively large flowerheads is Leucadendron…
One of the rarest members of the Protea Family at Phillipskop is Paranomus sceptrum-gustavianus. The rather long and tortuous name refers to the patronage of King Gustav III of Sweden. The species, was originally described by Anders Sparrman as a Protea in 1777 and beautifully illustrated at the same time.…
With its central pointed cone of dense black hair, Protea longifolia is one of the easier members of the genus Protea to recognise. The scientific name refers to the long narrow leaves, which are a better diagnostic character as there are other species with black hairy central cones. The leaves…
The True Sugarbush or Suikerbossie, Protea repens, is so well-known that it barely needs any introduction. After the King Protea, Protea cynaroides, it is probably the most familiar of the proteas. It got its common name from the quantity of nectar that the flowers produce. So much in fact that…
We are all familiar with the large showy flowers of proteas; some like the King Proteas are as large as dinner plates. But there are a range of proteas that are more discrete in their flowering, keeping their flowers tucked away at the base of their stems. These are the…
