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Proteaceae
King Protea
Protea cynaroides
Courage, transformation, royal beauty.
- Family
- Proteaceae
- Genus
- Protea
- Native to
- South Africa (Cape fynbos)
- Bloom season
- Winter, Spring, Summer
- Type
- Shrub
- Height
- 1–2 m (3–6.5 ft)
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil
- Acidic, sandy, very well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Hardiness
- 9–11
- Lifespan
- Long-lived (50+ years)
Did you know
- The king protea is the largest of all proteas—a single flower head can grow 12 inches across, the size of a dinner plate, with hundreds of bracts forming a literal floral crown.
- It is the national flower of South Africa and the symbol of the South African cricket team, the 'Proteas'—every player wears it stitched over their heart.
- Named after the shape-shifting Greek god Proteus by Linnaeus because the genus is so wildly diverse—over 1,600 species of proteas exist, from groundcovers to small trees.
- Proteas are among the oldest flowering plants in the world, having evolved in Gondwana 300 million years ago—they predate the breakup of Africa from South America.
- Like Australian bottlebrush and California chaparral, king proteas need fire to germinate—their woody seedheads only release seeds after a bushfire sweeps the fynbos.
Color meanings
0
courage
1
transformation
2
diversity