Africa Wild

Index to Trees & Shrubs in the Order Proteales

Family: Proteaceae (Protea Family)
072. Brabejum stellatifolium Wild Almond viewtopic.php?p=249936#p249936
075. Faurea saligna Willow Beechwood, African Beech viewtopic.php?p=255490#p255490
082. Leucadendron coniferum Dune Conebush viewtopic.php?f=248&t=3760&p=177951#p177951
078. Leucadendron strobilinum Peninsula Conebush viewtopic.php?f=248&t=3760&p=170880#p171674
084.1 Leucospermum conocarpodendron viridum Green Tree Pincushion viewtopic.php?f=248&t=3760&p=171677#p171677
072.2 Mimetes fimbriifolius Tree Pagoda, Cowl Pagoda viewtopic.php?p=242801#p242801
087. Protea caffra caffra Common Sugarbush viewtopic.php?f=248&p=171679#p171679
90.2 Protea laurifolia Grey-leaf Sugarbush, Laurel-leaf Bearded-Protea viewtopic.php?f=248&t=3760&p=171681#p171681
093.1 Protea neriifolia Oleanderleaf Protea, Narrow-leaf Sugarbush viewtopic.php?f=248&t=3760&p=171687#p171687
093.1 Protea neriifolia "Niobe" White Oleanderleaf Protea viewtopic.php?f=248&t=3760&p=171692#p171692
094.2 Protea repens Common Sugarbush viewtopic.php?f=248&t=3760&p=171698#p171698
98.2. Protea welwitschii Dwarf Savanna Sugarbush, Cluster-head Sugarbush viewtopic.php?p=530915#p530915


Index to Flowers in the Order Proteales

Family: Proteaceae
Leucadendron tinctum Spicy Conebush viewtopic.php?p=241884#p241884
Leucospermum calligerum Arid Pincushion viewtopic.php?p=242919#p242919
Leucospermum cordifolium Pincushion viewtopic.php?f=248&t=3782&p=4108#p151749
Leucospermum erubescens Orange Flame Pincushion, Langeberg Pincushion viewtopic.php?f=248&t=3782&p=152588#p152588
Leucospermum oleifolium Overberg Pincushion viewtopic.php?p=241880#p241880
Leucospermum reflexum Rocket Pincushion viewtopic.php?p=241878#p241878
Mimetes cucullatus Common Pagoda, Common Mimetes viewtopic.php?p=249934#p249934
Mimetes hirtus Marsh Pagoda, Red and yellow Bottlebrush viewtopic.php?f=248&t=3782&p=4108#p171978
Protea cynaroides King Protea viewtopic.php?f=248&t=3782&p=4108#p171982

78. Peninsula Conebush Leucadendron strobilinum (Rotstolbos)
Order: Proteales. Family: Proteaceae


Cape Peninsula

Description
It is a large, single-stemmed shrub that branches from the base. It grows up to 2.6 m tall. The broad, fleshy leaves are dark green and oval. The leaf tips are red and recurved with a fine point. The fruiting cones are ovoid and hairless and contain flat, winged seeds. It flowers from September to October.

Distribution
A Table Mountain endemic. It occurs on the Cape Peninsula, and the distribution ranges from Table Mountain to Kommetjie. The larger dense subpopulations occur mainly on the Table Mountain and Constantiaberg ranges, with the southern Peninsula subpopulations being small and scattered.

Habitat
It grows on damp, rocky slopes. Mainly associated with margins of Afromontane forest patches or other relatively fire-safe habitats that do not burn in every fire cycle. Largely confined to Peninsula Sandstone Fynbos.

Conservation status
It is listed as Near Threatened on the Red List of South African plants.

Links: PlantZAfrica; Protea Atlas: Sunshine Conebushes - Leucadendrons

084.1 Green Tree Pincushion, Hairless Tree pincushion, Yellow Pincushion Leucospermum conocarpodendron ssp. viridum (Groenkreupelhout)
Order: Proteales. Family: Proteaceae

© Lisbeth





Two subspecies of the Tree-pincushion are recognised: Leucospermum conocarpodendron conocarpodendron and L. c. viridum. L. c. viridum is distinguished from the nominate subspecies by dark-green coloured hairless leaves.

Description
It is the largest of the pincushion group of proteas, shrub-like, up to 5 m tall and 6 m across and the fact that it has a single trunk, has given it tree status. The trunk which may reach 40 cm in diameter, has corky bark up to 5 cm thick and the mature branches have a dense covering of hairs.
The leaves are deep green and smooth when mature. They vary in shape and the tips may be pointed or rounded with 3–10 reddish glandular teeth, 6–11 cm long and 2.5–5 cm wide. The flowerheads are often borne in groups of 3 and each is 7–9 cm across. Each flower is made up of 4 outer floral parts called the perianth, which in this species are coloured yellow. The conspicuous style or ‘pin', which ends in a ‘pollen presenter', is released from the perianth to which the anthers are attached. As the style bearing the stigma uncurls from the perianth it passes the anthers and collects the pollen on the pollen presenter, from where the pollen is easily rubbed off onto bird pollinators such as the Cape Sugarbird.
The green tree pincushion flowers from August to December, releasing its seeds 1 or 2 months after flowering. The seed is a hard nut.

Distribution
This species occurs on the Cape Peninsula, then eastward across the Cape Flats to the Hottentots-Holland, Franschhoek and Kogelberg mountains, and then on to Kleinmond and further east to Stanford.

Habitat
It grows mainly in the lowlands on well drained, sandstone-derived soils, often in fairly dense stands.

Links:
Piet Van Wyk, Southern African Trees: A Photographic Guide
https://botsocblog.wordpress.com/2018/0 ... cospermum/

87. Common Sugarbush Protea caffra caffra (Gewone Suikerbos)
Order: Proteales. Family: Proteaceae




Drakensberg, KwaZulu-Natal






Marakele National Park, Lenong drive (Jan 2021) © harrys

© Sharifa

© Sharifa
Marakele National Park

© Lisbeth

© Lisbeth
Umtamvuna Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal on the South coast

Description
It grows as a shrub or small tree up to 8 m tall with a somewhat rounded crown.
The grey-green leaves are elongated with nearly parallel sides. They are leathery in texture and may be up to 250 mm in length.
The flower heads can be borne singly or in clusters. They reach up to 80 mm in diameter with the outer bracts (resembling petals) varying from reddish to pink or cream in colour. Many tiny, single flowers are clustered together in the flower head. When pollinated each flower forms a small nut which is covered in rich reddish brown hairs.
The thick bark has a chunky, corky texture. It protects the mature plant from the fires that are essential to the maintenance of the grasslands in which the common sugar bushes grow.

Distribution
Free State, the Highveld, Lesotho, Transvaal, eSwatini escarpment, Kwa-Zulu Natal to Eastern Cape. The common sugar bush is one of three proteas which occur in the Witwatersrand area. It is the most widely distributed protea in South Africa and may be found in grassland and woodland throughout Gauteng, in parts of Kwazulu Natal, Lesotho, Northern Province, Mpumalanga, the Eastern Cape as far south as the Katberg mountains and in Zimbabwe.

Habitat
Varied, 0 - 2100m. It is usually found growing in large colonies especially on rocky ridges.

© Super Mongoose

© Super Mongoose

© Super Mongoose
Marakele National Park

Links:
https://books.google.de/books?id=rMgBwy ... um&f=false
Piet Van Wyk, Southern African Trees: A Photographic Guide, Trees and Shrubs of Mpumalanga and Kruger National Park; Protea Atlas: Grassland Sugarbushes - Proteas

90.2 Grey-leaf Sugarbush, Laurel-leaf Bearded-Protea Protea laurifolia (Louriersuikerbos)
Order: Proteales. Family: Proteaceae








Pakhuis Pass, Cederberg, Western Cape

Description
Tall erect shrub to 8 m tall. Inflorescence oblong, 40-60 mm wide; leaves elliptic, shortly stalked (2-20 mm long) at base, with grey waxy bloom; tall, erect.
Protea laurifolia is a large, upright, well-branched shrub, 3–5 m tall, or small tree up to 8 m high, with a short, stout main trunk up to 300 mm in diameter and branching from about 200 mm above ground level. Leaves are elliptic, broader in the middle and tapering to the base and apex, 80–140 x 10–55 mm. The petiole is very short, 3–20 mm, and the apex is tipped with a short spine (mucronate). The midrib is prominent and the margins are very prominent and heavily thickened. The leaves are covered with minute soft hairs when young but hairless when mature, and the leaf surface is coated with a whitish to blue-green bloom that can be rubbed off (glaucous), giving the whole bush a greyish green colour.
The flower head is oblong, 100–130 x 40–60 mm. The involucral bracts are a silky silvery pink, or faded pink, or cream, with a thick beard on the inner bracts. The beard can be purple-black, white or mixed white and black. The individual flowers are 75–90 mm long and are also densely covered with purple-black or white hairs. The main flowering time is during autumn-winter (May to July), but flower heads can be found from autumn until early summer (April to November).
The fruit is a small, dry, hairy nut. Seeds are held inside the flower until the branch or bush dies. For harvesting purposes, the seeds should be left on the bush to ripen for a period of about seven months. Only a few viable seeds are produced per head.

Similar Species
Protea laurifolia is very similar to P. neriifolia and is often confused with it. They can be told apart by their foliage: P. laurifolia leaves are elliptic (broader in the middle) and have heavily thickened, horny margins and a grey bloom that can be rubbed off, whereas those of P. neriifolia are dark to bright green and narrowly oblong with margins that are parallel for most of their length, and are not heavily thickened and don't have a greyish bloom. Also, P. laurifolia has a petiole, even though it is very short, whereas P. neriifolia has no petiole at all. There are variants of P. laurifolia that have less of the greyish bloom on their leaves and some P. neriifolia plants with blue-grey leaves, which are more difficult to distinguish.

Distribution
Nieuwoudtville to Franschhoek and Anysberg. Protea laurifolia occurs on the inland mountains of the Western Cape from the Bokkeveld escarpment near Nieuwoudtville southwards along the Gifberg, Cedarberg, Olifants River, Koue Bokkeveld, Tulbagh, Bain's Kloof, Du Toit's Kloof, Paarl and Franschoek Mountains to Villiersdorp, and then eastwards from the Riversonderend Mountains to McGregor. Populations also occur on Heerenlogementberg, Piketberg and Paardeberg, and further inland it skirts the western edge of the Karoo, occurring along the Cedarberg, Swartruggens Escarpment, at Karoo Poort, on the Bonteberg, Witteberg and on the Worcester Hex River Mountains, the Langeberg and Anysberg.

Habitat
Sandy or granite soils, 400-1200m. P. laurifolia covers vast stretches of mountainside between 400 and 1 200 m. It grows mainly on sandstone or quartzite-derived soils, or Cape granite, but will also grow on Bokkeveld shale, which most proteas cannot tolerate. Where it receives more moisture, it forms dense stands, but it typically favours the drier, very well-drained sites where the plants are more widely dispersed, forming low open woodland. Protea laurifolia is very drought tolerant and can be seen surviving in very inhospitable places, and is a common sight on the bleak, semi-arid landscapes of the Cedarberg and Koue Bokkeveld.

Links: Protea Atlas; PlantZAfrica

93.1 Oleanderleaf Protea, Narrow-leaf Sugarbush Protea neriifolia
Order: Proteales. Family: Proteaceae

Pic wanted

Description
A large erect shrub up to 3m tall. Much-branched. Bark dark grey. Large flowers heads (February – November), varying in colour from cream through pink to carmine. A 'beard' of purple-black to pure white hairs sets off the colour of the inner bracts, cylindrical flowerheads on short stalks within leaves, 100-130x60-80 mm. Upper flower bracts pale to deep pink, beard white to purplish black, lower bracts curve back like wood-shavings.
Oblong, green leaves 100-180 mm long, hairless when mature.

Habitat
Coastal areas. Sandstone, occasionally granite soils, 0 - 1300m.

Distribution
Widespread species in the southern coastal mountain, from east of Cape Town to Port Elizabeth (Hottentots-Holland Mountains to Riviersonderend Mountains and Langeberg to Winterhoek Mountains and Elandsberg, Rooiberg, Kammanasie Mountains, Potberg, Tulbagh and Ceres).

93.1 Oleanderleaf Protea Protea neriifolia "Niobe" (Baardsuikerbos, Baardsuikerkan, Blousuikerkan)
Order Proteales. Family: Proteaceae.








Garden

Description
This is a large ornamental shrub with a fairly long flowering time, producing large flowers, varying in colour from creamy-green through silvery pink to deep carmine. A 'beard' of purple-black to pure white hairs sets off the colour of the inner bracts.
The variability in altitude and locality has led to a wide variation in both flower colour and flowering time. The flowering time is between February and November with the plants in the western part of the range flowering during autumn and winter (February to July), and the plants in the eastern range flowering during spring and early summer (August to November). The 'flowers' of Protea neriifolia are actually flower heads with a collection of flowers in the centre, surrounded by large colourful bracts. The flowers are pollinated by scarab beetles, protea beetles and many other insects, as well as by birds. The birds are attracted by both the nectar and the insects visiting the flowers.
Protea neriifolia was first discovered in 1597, was illustrated in 1605, and has the distinction of being the first protea ever to be mentioned in botanical literature. It took quite a while before it was officially recognised as a distinct species by the botanists and it was only described and named in 1810.

Distribution
Protea neriifolia is a very widespread species and occurs from sea-level to 1300 m altitude in the southern coastal mountain ranges from just east of Cape Town to Port Elizabeth.

Habitat
It grows mainly on soils derived from Table Mountain Sandstone, often in large stands.

94.2 Common Sugarbush Protea repens
Order: Proteales. Family: Proteaceae




Bain's Kloof, Western Cape

Description
The Common Sugarbush is an erect shrub or tree that grows up to 5 m with greyish-brown stems.
The leaves are hairless, linear narrow or spatulate to oblanceolate, 130 mm, stalkless, yellow to bluish-green.
It flowers generously through the colder months and to some lesser extent throughout the year, peaking May - October (Western Cape), September - March (Eastern Cape) The bud often glistens in the sunlight with escaping nectar and opens into a neat conical cup filled with numerous erect florets. The flowerhead is slender, narrowly obconic, 100-160/70-90 mm, and has pointed hairless involucral bracts that are either white, pink to red or tipped with shades of pink, sticky or shiny, style 70-90 mm long. 80% pink and 20% white.

Distribution
Protea repens has one of the largest distribution areas of all the Cape Protea species, ranging from Niewoudtville southwards to the Peninsula and eastwards along the south coastal area and mountains as far as Grahamstown.

Habitat
Extremely varied, 0 - 1500 m. It is cold resistant, growing on the higher mountain slopes up to near the snowline.

82. Dune Conebush, Dune Yellowbush Leucadendron coniferum (Duin-geelbos)
Order: Proteales. Family: Proteaceae

© Lisbeth
Cape Peninsula, towards Cape Point

Description
A shrub to 4 m tall, with paddle-shaped yellow-green leaves to 77 mm long (male) or 83 mm long (female). Leaves narrowly oblanceolate, sharp mucronate, hairless when mature, twisted. Male stigma hoof-shaped, constricted below tip.
It flowers from August to September. Flowers of one sex on separate plants. Red cones in autumn.

Distribution
South African endemic. Western Cape: Cape Peninsula, Kogelberg, Kleinmond, Groenland and Klein River Mountains.

Habitat
Sand fynbos on the lowlands, bordering on strandveld in some situations.

Links: Protea Atlas

72.2. Tree Pagoda, Cowl Pagoda Mimetes fimbriifolius (Kreupelboom)
Order: Proteales. Family: Proteaceae


Cape Peninsula

Description
A 2-5 m tall gnarled tree or rounded shrub with a single trunk and thick corky bark. It produces a thick, corky trunk between 25 and 60 cm in diameter which branches about half a metre above soil level. The branches are stout, stocky and repeatedly divide to produce interlocking branchlets to form a dense, rounded crown. The leaves are numerous, upwardly overlapping, and so closely packed together at the ends of the branches that they obscure the branch structure of specimens in their prime. Old, senescent specimens become more ragged and may lose shape and expose the gnarled branch structure beneath. The leaves are oblong to elliptic and have a thick fringe of white pubescent hairs on the margins.
Both sexes occur in each flower. The flower heads are cylindrical and about 60–80 mm long and 60–70 mm across and consist of a combination of flower headlets, coloured leaves and bracts. Each flower head consists of up to 15 headlets (groups of flowers) which are borne in the axils of the uppermost foliage leaves of a flowering branch. There are four to seven flowers in each headlet (pseudanthium) and each headlet is clasped from above by a reddish yellow, cowl-shaped leaf. The styles are 45–50 mm long and red. The pollen presenter is 5–7 mm long and spindle-shaped. Flowering may occur all year, but mainly from July to December, with a peak in September. Mimetes fimbriifolius may produce lovely red leaves at the ends of flowering branches during flowering. This colouring of the leaves around the flower heads is variable and a tree that displays magnificent colour in one year may not do so in another year. The fruits are small and dry and contain a single seed, and do not split open when ripe. The fruit is eleased 2-6 months after flowering.

Distribution
A Cape Peninsula endemic, from Table Mountain in the north to Cape Point.

Habitat
Sandy soils, 0 -1100 m. It grows on rocky slopes and flats. At its northerly end it grows above the 300 m contour, but occurs at lower altitudes further south such as at Cape Point where it may even grow near sea level. It shows a preference for rocky montane habitats, but may also be found on open fynbos slopes or plateaus.

Links: Field Guide to Fynbos. John C. Manning; PlantZAfrica; Protea Atlas: Cowl Pagodas - Mimetes