PROTEA CYNAROIDES
Protea cynaroides, also called the King protea, has the largest flower head in the genus. Protea cynaroides is a resprouter, as it shoots up new stems from buds in its thick underground stem after a fire.
The "flowers" of Protea cynaroides are actually flower heads with a collection of flowers in the centre, surrounded by large colourful bracts.
Protea cynaroides is visited by nectar feeding birds, such as Sugarbirds and Sunbirds, and by bees and beetles, but it is the birds that pollinate the flowers. As they feed on the nectar in the flowers, their heads touch the pollen presenters and transfer pollen from flower to flower.
The seeds are quite large nuts, covered by hairs and stay in the old flower head for a year or more. They are released after a fire and dispersed by wind, rodents and birds.
It takes many years for protea seed to grow into a protea plant of about 1 m tall.
Protea cynaroides is South Africa’s national flower — and the Protea emblem is proudly worn by our national men’s and women’s cricket teams. The species is also known as giant protea, honey pot or king sugar bush. Afr. Reuse Protea, Koningsprotea, Grootsuikerroos, Grootsuikerkan, Bergsuikerkan.

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